SPOKANE, Wash. – While hundreds of Gonzaga Prep students praise their favorite time of year – colloquially called tongue-in-cheek ‘No School November’ – the Jesuit high school is secretly teaching them one of the most important lessons they couldn’t learn in a classroom.
“It’s best time of year,” senior Maggie McGinn said. “Food Drive Committee has been one of the greatest decisions I made at Prep.”
Prep participates annually in the Great Ignatian Challange – a food drive competition between Jesuit high schools across the county. Its namesake comes from Saint Ignatius who founded the Jesuit Order.
Students have prepared for months.
The school aims to donate more than 100,000 pounds of food annually to local food banks, nonprofits, and communities in need.
The Colville Tribe received a truckload. It’s enough to feed 150 families.
“This is exactly why we send our kids to Prep. This is service in action for these kids,” Catholic Charity’s Hedi Meany said. “It’s just incredible.”
