Staten Island Students Support ‘Bread of Life’ Food Drive

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Students at St. Joseph-by-the Sea High School provided a great deal of help to Staten Island families recovering from Hurricane Sandy by collecting more than 2,000 food items for the Notre Dame Club of Staten Island’s “Bread of Life” drive last year.

The 23rd annual drive, with the theme “Fighting Irish, Fighting Hunger,” runs through Saturday, April 12.

Nicole Bulone, president of the Ladies of Charity student group at St. Joseph-by-the Sea, said Sea students collected enough food during last year’s drive to donate more than 80 bags of food to two Staten Island parishes.

“We are going to make sure that our upcoming food drive is going to be just as successful as our previous one,” she said. “These food drives really bring Sea together as a family. We are extremely grateful and all the students are always willing to go above and beyond to help those in need.”

Mary Frances Bulone, a math teacher at St. Joseph-by-the-Sea and moderator of the Ladies of Charity group, said, “Anything the students do, they put their hearts and souls into it.”

In its history, the drive has contributed more than 975,000 cans and boxes of food to 20 non-profit organizations including Catholic Charities, Project Hospitality, the Salvation Army and the Jewish Community Centers of Staten Island. The organizations assist the neediest: single mothers, families and individuals who are without work, the homeless, senior citizens, victims of domestic violence and people recovering from Hurricane Sandy.

More than 75,000 food items including baby formula, baby cereal, canned tuna, canned vegetables, peanut butter, pasta and canned juices were collected from Catholic and public schools on Staten Island last year.

The food will be sorted at Msgr. Farrell High April 12. Individuals may bring food to the lobby of the high school at 2900 Amboy Road between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Food drive director Joe Delaney cited a U.S. Department of Agriculture report that said the number of Americans who live in households that lack consistent access to adequate food totals 55 million, the highest number recorded since the government began tracking “food insecurity” nearly two decades ago.

Deacon Jim Stahlnecker said his parish, St. Mary of the Assumption, receives “tremendous help from the Bread of Life Drive all year round.”

“The food helps sustain the parish,” he said.