Holy Cross Harvest Food Drive to Benefit Local Pantries

Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Ind.
(574) 284-4579

January 11, 2013 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—While farmers ended their harvest a couple months ago, another “harvest” is about to get underway. The Holy Cross institutions of Saint Mary's College, Holy Cross College, and the University of Notre Dame will hold their third Holy Cross Harvest, “harvesting” food and monetary donations for various food pantries. Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s will hold their drives January 28 to February 15 while Holy Cross College will hold its harvest drive the entire month of February. The public is encouraged to participate.

Each of the three campuses has a different approach for the Holy Cross Harvest.

Saint Mary's College will donate food and money to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana. Anyone can leave non-perishable food in collection barrels in the Student Center Atrium, in the lobby of Spes Unica Hall, and near the front desk in Le Mans Hall. Those interested in donating to the cause electronically can do so on the Food Bank’s website at http://donations.feedindiana.org/

The University of Notre Dame is giving people the choice to donate to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana’s Fun Packs Program or to People Gotta Eat. The Fun Packs Program provides children in need with a backpack of food each weekend during the school year. People Gotta Eat is a United Way coalition of 17 area food pantries. This year a Healthy Eating grant is available from the United Way that will double all funds donated to People Gotta Eat. Those who wish to donate online to the university’s drive should go to www.holycrossharvest.nd.edu and follow the donation links. There will also be donation boxes for non-perishable food at the two Hammes Bookstores (on campus and at Eddy Street Commons).

Holy Cross College’s drive take place in February and benefit St. Vincent de Paul, through People Gotta Eat. Each department at the college will be challenged to get 100% of its staff/faculty to participate and students are planning their own events for the drive. Those interested in donating online can do so on the People Gotta Eat website at www.uwsjc.org.

Presidents of the institutions said the Holy Cross Harvest is in the spirit of the Holy Cross tradition of helping where help is needed.

“The Holy Cross congregations have always worked to provide for those people on the margins. In the local community, there is a great deal of hunger and food insecurity due to the economy. We must keep the needs of others in the forefront of our minds and hold ourselves accountable for our response to that need,” said Carol Ann Mooney, president of Saint Mary's College.

“The active response of our Holy Cross-sponsored institutions to the immediate situation of food insecurity in our locale is a most worthy effort; I would encourage all people of good will to join us in this effort to assist our neighbors who are in need,” added Brother John R. Paige, C.S.C., president of Holy Cross College.

“With members of our community struggling for the basic food necessities, we have the responsibility to respond. Let’s take this opportunity to share our blessings with those in need,” said the Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of Notre Dame.

The first time the three institutions collaborated on the Holy Cross Harvest was in the fall of 2010.

Contact information:

Saint Mary's College
Erika Buhring
(574) 284-4573

Holy Cross College
Patricia Adams
(574) 239-8364

University of Notre Dame
Anne M. Kolaczyk
(574) 631-8679

About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the top 100 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” for 2013 published by U.S. News. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.

 About Holy Cross College: Holy Cross College is a Catholic, four-year, co-educational, liberal arts institution founded in 1966 by the Brothers of Holy Cross. With a 13:1 faculty/student ratio, students find personal attention from professors who care about their success. The college focuses on the holistic development of the mind, body, and spirit. Baccalaureate students must complete four requirements before graduation-a professional internship to develop their real-world qualifications, service experiences to develop their compassion, an international experience to expand their horizons, and a senior Capstone presentation to sum up their learning outcomes and attest to a panel of faculty and business leaders that they are ready for life after college. With a campus adjoining Saint Mary's College and the University of Notre Dame, Holy Cross College provides the best of both worlds-a close-knit, small college atmosphere with the resources and social opportunities of a large university.

About the University of Notre Dame: Founded in 1842, the University of Notre Dame provides a distinctive voice in higher education that is at once rigorously intellectual, unapologetically moral in orientation, and firmly embracing of a service ethos. The nation’s preeminent Catholic university and rated among the top 25 of all U.S. institutions of higher learning, Notre Dame is organized into four undergraduate colleges — Arts and Letters, Science, Engineering, and the Mendoza College of Business — the School of Architecture, the Law School, the Graduate School, 10 major research institutes, more than 40 centers and special programs, and the University library system. Located adjacent to the city of South Bend, approximately 90 miles east of Chicago, it is highly residential, with 80 percent of students living on campus, and also is known for the quality of its physical plant and the beauty of its campus, including the Golden Dome of the Main Building, the world’s most recognized university landmark.

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