GRANITE CITY — The third annual Food for Families Drive collected 16,900 pounds of food for five food pantries in the Metro East. Several local companies partnered with United Way of Greater St. Louis to sponsor the drive and make it a success, including Andy’s Auto Body Towing & Storage; Callis, Papa, Szewczyk, P.C.; Dynamic Transit Company; First Bank; GCS Credit Union; Granite City High School National Honor Society; Greater Madison County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO; Schnucks; Skinn Fitness; Scott and Michelle Smith; and The Bank of Edwardsville.
“Our community is so generous and never fails to come together in order to help our neighbors, and this drive is a great example of that,” said Terry Biggs, labor liaison for United Way of Greater St. Louis. “Thank you to all of the schools and their administrations for participating, to our generous sponsors, and to everyone who dropped off a donation and supported the drive.”
Nearly two dozen schools participated in the drive, competing to bring in the most food by poundage per student in order to win a cash prize. The winning schools were:
- In first place, Saints Peter and Paul School in Alton received $1,000 for collecting 1,366 pounds of food, equaling 21 percent per student.
- In second place, St. John Neumann School in Maryville received $750 for collecting 2,909 pounds of food, equaling 16 percent per student.
- In third place, Granite City Park District Pre-Kindergarten received $250 for collecting 471 pounds of food, equaling 14 percent per student.
Other participating school include Alton Junior High School, Alton High School, Coolidge Middle School, East Elementary School, Frohardt Elementary School, Granite City High School, Highland Middle School, Highland High School, Lovejoy Elementary School, Maryville School, Mitchell Elementary School, North Elementary School, Prather Middle School, Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, St. Elizabeth School, St. Mary’s School, Venice Elementary School, and West Elementary School.
Additionally, United Steelworkers Locals 1899, 50 and 68 and the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees collected more than 1,700 pounds of food.
All items collected were distribute to the Community Care Center in Granite City, Catholic Charities of Madison County, Crisis Food Center in Alton, Venice Township Food Pantry in Venice, and Highland Area Christian Service Ministries Food Pantry in Highland.
About United Way of Greater St. Louis
United Way of Greater St. Louis mobilizes the community with one goal in mind — helping people live their best possible lives. United Way helps one in three people in our 16-county region in Missouri and Illinois by supporting the foundation for a good quality of life through basic needs, education, financial stability, health and strong communities. For more information, contact 314-421-0700 or visit www.HelpingPeople.org.
