Marian Catholic Student Organizes Food Drive on Wednesday

When Karina Bonilla, a Junior at Marian Catholic saw others across the country helping others, she wanted to pay it forward locally.

“I have seen countless service projects led by many people across the country and it inspired me to do one of my own” said Bonilla. “It is important to help others during this pandemic because we are all going through this tough time together and experiencing the same situations and feelings. When we are there for each other and support one another, we can make this tough time easier” she added.

Bonilla has organized a food collection at Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights.

If you would like to donate, there will be having a safe, no-contact drop off THIS Wednesday, May 20, at the Main Office Entrance on Ashland Avenue from 2:45-3:15.

The donations will be going to Daybreak Shelter in Joliet, IL. The Daybreak Shelter provides emergency housing and supportive services to individuals and families who are homeless.

“I know that anything that I can get will benefit someone in a way, so even if it’s a little amount of donations it will go a long way” said Bonilla.

Below is a list of items being collected.

• cereal
• microwaveable meals
• apple and orange juice drink boxes
• individual bottles of Gatorade
• individual size bottles of milk
• ketchup
• mustard
• salt
• pepper
• flip-top foods such as ravioli
• individual soup
• individual packages of instant oatmeal
• microwave popcorn
• apples
• oranges
• Clorox wipes
• glass cleaner
• stainless steel cleaner
• bathroom cleaner
• sponges

As a student at Marian Catholic, Bonilla has always taken part in serving the community.

“I have definitely learned to give back to others as a Student at Marian Catholic. Marian is always encouraging students to give and help as much as they can. During the year, Marian has many service opportunities such as: serving the homeless in downtown Chicago, providing a Christmas for families in need, donating money to those in need during Lent, and much more” added Bonilla.

Several Marian Catholic high school students have organized various projects serving the community during the pandemic. Bonilla believes it’s important for teens to get involved in the community.

“Teens should get involved in giving to the community because the more people that are involved, the better our world will be” said Bonilla. “We make our world a kinder, humbler place when we help and support the people around us. Community service also shows teens that their choices and actions matters a lot and encourages them to do good wherever they go”.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Karina at 21066@mchs.me

or Señora Iggins at diggins@marianchs.com.