Approximately 70 members of the Rosarian Academy community participated in a large-scale gleaning effort Saturday, Feb. 1 to provide food for those less fortunate in Palm Beach County.
Pre-school through eighth-grade students and families spent the morning picking an estimated 9,000 pounds of bell peppers later delivered to the Palm Beach County Food Bank and then distributed to about 100 local agencies and shelters that feed the hungry.
Rosarian students, parents, teachers and friends filled 600 boxes of peppers, which is enough to feed 2,400 people for one week.
Gleaning is so important because 52 million pounds of produce on farms are wasted every year. CROS Ministries, the event organizer, works with local farmers to allow volunteers to glean, or pick, the crops that are left after the harvest. The food is perfectly edible but does not meet supermarket standards.
Through this meaningful community service project, the students experience the power of making a positive difference in the lives of the needy.
The service project was a strong end to the final day of Catholic Schools Week, held Jan. 26 through Feb. 1. Catholic Schools Week is celebrated annually on a national level the last week in January. Catholic schools observe the week with Masses, open houses, service projects and gatherings.
Founded in 1925, the Rosarian Academy educates students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and offers a strong academic program enriched by athletics, visual and performing arts, and community service opportunities.
The private, coeducational school is located on Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach and is sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters. For more info., visit www.rosarian.org.
ABOVE: Rosarian Academy students and families helped to provide food for less fortunate members of the community.
