Notre Dame Academy collects canned goods to for Bishop Kmiec Food Pantry

One of the best parts of my workday is being able to show and tell others about the goodness that is Notre Dame Academy. Let me tell you what made my Thursday morning so special. Recently, we celebrated Catholic School Week here at NDA. Throughout that week, we asked our students to take a moment and think about others in our community. During what I am sure you would agree is such a crazy time in all our lives, our leaders of tomorrow rose to the challenge of participating in a canned food and peanut butter drive.

The halls of the school were filled.

That morning, two car loads of food were delivered to our neighbors just down the road.  Located at 920 Tifft St. sits the Bishop Edward U. Kmiec Food Pantry run by Catholic Charites. Catholic Charities maintains nine pantries and outreach centers in Western New York. Each has emergency food and offers information and referrals. Trained volunteers minister to those in need through these centers. As we unloaded well over 1,000 cans of food, filling six shopping carts, the hard-working men and women who run this pantry were happy to stock their shelves so our neighbors in the community could have food on their tables.

Catholic Schools gives students the opportunity to learn about God and the Catholic faith, but the mark of a great Catholic school is when you teach your students to put faith into action, that is just what Notre Dame Academy does on a daily basis. Students collected $970.35 to donate to the Catholic Charities Appeal, which kicked off Jan. 19 and runs through June 30.  Funds raised during Appeal 2021 will support Catholic Charities’ 57 programs across 80 sites in the eight counties of Western New York. More than 149,000 people of all faiths were served by Catholic Charities over the past year.

The students at NDA continue to create well-wishes for doctors, nurses, hospital workers and patients at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, they continue to create thank you notes for essential community workers, Thinking of You cards for the recipients of Meal on Wheels, and have sent canned goods to the Response to Love Center.

There is an old saying, “Where the rubber hits the road,” which defined means the point where an idea is put into practice. At Notre Dame Academy, teaching the students the importance of living out the Catholic faith to the fullest and taking action where it’s needed is the perfect example of “rubber hitting the road.”

If you are looking for #AGreatCatholicSchool for your children or grandchildren, check out Notre Dame Academy at www.NotreDameBuffalo.org or call 716-824-0726 for more information.