Students from Saint Peter School on Capitol Hill in Southeast Washington gathered Nov. 14 to participate in the 37th Annual Greg Gannon Canned Food Drive.
At final count, 186 boxes of food were loaded onto the truck destined for The Father McKenna Center. Donations were gathered from Saint Peter School families and neighbors as well as parishioners from St. Peter’s and St. Joseph’s churches.
“The Greg Gannon Food Drive is consistently one of our students’ favorite service activities, and their commitment grows with each school year,” said Karen Clay, Saint Peter School principal. “Greg Gannon’s mission has encouraged generations of SPS students to put their faith into action. We are humbled and grateful for the opportunity to participate once again and look forward to continuing this meaningful collaboration for years to come.”
Started by a man of service and faith, with a passion to help those in need, the reg Gannon Canned Food Drive began as a simple idea to have friends collect food for the poor.
In 1987, Greg Gannon approached his parish of Blessed Sacrament in Washington with the idea of starting a canned food collection. In 2006, Gannon passed away after a struggle with brain cancer, but his spirit and legacy live on through the Greg Gannon Canned Food Drive, now under the leadership of his brother Rick Gannon.
Today, 37 years later, the Greg Gannon Canned Food Drive is a treasured tradition for thousands of volunteers.
“The relationship between St. Peter and the Greg Gannon Food Drive goes way back to when my father and all of his siblings went to St. Peter back in the 40s,” said Rick Gannon. “It is truly fitting that their efforts to collect the food to help those in need is a great one, with the food ending up at the Greg Gannon pantry at the Father McKenna Center. Thank you to St. Peter School for your continued efforts and supporting our fight against food insecurity.”
