Community Partners - St. Mary's Elementary School
On Thursday November 15, 2012, the wonderful students of St. Mary's Elementary were presented with balloons as a thank you for the amazing, extraordinary, spectacular food drive they conducted for Food link in October! The storage room was filled with bags and bags of nutritious food in excess of 2200 pounds, delivered and unloaded at the Food Link office by a caravan of parents. Food Link is celebrating it's 21st year and appreciate and value Saint Mary's Elementary School as a community partner.
A very special thank you to the students, parents and faculty for sharing, caring and giving hope to our neighbors in need.
The students from left to right are Ally Bertapelle, Thomas Crabtree, Riley Swidersky, Emily Bertapelle, Sara Hoxter, Cayden Pfundstein, Aidan Matthews, Hannah Nairn, Megan Bunker.
St. Mary's School Annual Food Drive - October 2012
The sun had not yet risen when students arrived at school October 25th with food to to Food Link. Volunteer parent's cars awaited and collected the donations. Once filled to capacity they caravaned over to Food Link and helped unload 2200 pounds of much needed food. "This food drive is vital" said Irenee McElwee, Emergency Pantry Coordinator for Food Link. "During the summer months we go through most of our food, and donations and are really low because schools are just getting started. We can always count on St. Mary's food drive in October to help us replenish our pantry just in time and give us the food 
we need to assist our neighbors here in Anne Arundel County.
We are so grateful for their continued support and thank Kathy Nellius for coordinating the drive at the school. We love working with the other parent volunteers who help us unload all the food and help to encourage the children at St. Mary's the importance of charity and the care of those less fortunate in their own backyard.
Photo: Irenee McElwee, Kathy Nellius and Paula Gordon
2011 - Food Link was the very lucky recipient of a food drive by St. Mary's "Saints in Action" for the fourth year in a row. Cathy Holstrom, Food Link's Executive Director, said "It is amazing what these students are able to do. Obviously, there are many caring families that comprise St. Mary's. We are humbled and honored by their support." The students collected 390 bags of food and other essentials which comes to over 5,000 lbs. "There are so many struggling families who's lives will be touched by the very caring hearts of the St. Mary's families."
