Mt St Mary Academy’s Hope Club Collect Hundreds Of Cereal Boxes To Aid Needy Families Served By Star Fish Food Pantry
Members of the HOPE (Helping Other People Everywhere) Club at Mount Saint Mary Academy (MSMA) in Watchung recognized the importance of aiding local families in need by collecting 325 boxes of cereal, which will be distributed by volunteers at the Star Fish Food Pantry in Plainfield.
The drive was held from January 25 to February 22, with donations given to Star Fish on the afternoon of February 22.
Donna Toryak, MSMA’s director of admissions and the moderator of HOPE, said, “Many young students and adults will be able to start their day with a healthy breakfast thanks to these donations.”
The outreach effort, which was entitled “Cereal Super Bowl,” was one of many carried out during the year by the club, which boasts approximately 25 members.
Ms. Toryak added that the club has also collected paper products to benefit Project Paul in Keansburg in the fall, and prepares sandwiches for the Salvation Army in Plainfield.
Members of HOPE also play bingo on campus with the retired Sisters of Mercy and create greeting cards for them for Christmas and Valentine’s Day.
A future goal for the club is to organize a “diaper drive” to benefit a local food pantry. Mount Saint Mary Academy is a Catholic, independent school which provides an exemplary college preparatory education for young women in grades 9 through 12. Founded in 1908 as a sponsored work of the Sisters of Mercy, the Mount remains committed to challenging each student to develop her fullest potential in a Christian atmosphere of love and caring.
(above, l-r) Caroline Hendrix, a freshman from Westfield, Katie Butler, a sophomore from Warren, and Fiona Hadley, a freshman from Florham Park. Three members of the HOPE (Helping Other People Everywhere) club at Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung are pictured with some of the donated cereal boxes that will be distributed by Star Fish Food Pantry.
