SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga Prep’s annual Thanksgiving food drive is underway with an ambitious target of collecting 200,000 pounds of food.
Students have been actively collecting food and donations from neighborhoods, grocery stores and local businesses. Their efforts aim to support over 600 families, 500 individuals and numerous food banks throughout the holiday season.
Francis Chau, the interim director of the Office of Service and Justice, emphasized the increased need this year due to the recent government shutdown, delayed SNAP payments and rising grocery prices. “We’ve reached our waitlist earlier than in past years,” Chau said.
This year, Gonzaga Prep is also competing in The Great Ignatian Challenge, a national food drive competition among Jesuit high schools. The challenge not only promotes camaraderie but also offers financial aid prize money from a Fordham Prep benefactor in New York.
Gonzaga Prep’s food drive is one of the largest in the Inland Northwest, with a history spanning over 60 years. The school said it remains committed to its mission of inspiring leaders who create a more just and loving world.
According to the USDA, 1 in 8 U.S. households with children faces food insecurity.
