Deeply moved when a fire at Holy Cross Catholic Church in South Bend resulted in major damage to the food pantry of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Joseph County, members of the student council at Saint Pius School organized a school-wide food collection to help restock the pantry.

To date, Saint Pius School students collected over 2,200 items of food, including pasta, pasta sauce, cereal, boxed potatoes, tuna, fruit, vegetables, soups, and many toiletry items.

While students were primarily motivated by the desire to help others in the community, there was a second motive: a competition between grades. The grade level that collected the most food was crowned the winner and received a special dress down day.

Founded in 1904, The St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Joseph County is a Catholic lay organization aimed at alleviating poverty through person to person service. The members perform home visits, bringing food and hope to families in need. The Society serves over 60,000 neighbors in need each year in St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties.