Overland Park — It began as a small food drive with cans filling the back of a single pickup truck. This year, the St. Thomas Aquinas High School food drive here filled four semitrailers, transporting 177,801 cans to Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas’ Hope Distribution Center in Kansas City, Kansas. That’s right, 177,801 cans — breaking the national record for the second time in a row!
The can food drive has rightfully become a source of pride for the students who have donated more than half a million cans of food to Catholic Charities since 2010. Their contribution makes a sizeable impact on the organization’s entire 21-county service area.
“Their efforts remind me of the parable of Jesus feeding the masses with five loaves of bread and two fish,” says Dustin Hardison, director of stabilization and housing at Catholic Charities. “The food drive numbers just keep multiplying year after year, helping us meet the growing number of hungry families. It’s inspiring to see that kind of service and commitment.”