Great Valley School District Hosting Annual Holiday Food Drive

MALVERN, PA — For the 10th year now, the Great Valley School District Food Service Department is hosting its holiday food drive to ensure area families in need have meals this season.

The food service department is now accepting donations for this year’s food drive.

Donations can be dropped off at the district office — 47 Church Road in Malvern — or at any of the Great Valley School District cafeterias.

Check donations can also be mailed to: GVSD Food Service Department, 47 Church Road, Malvern PA 19355.

A list of items requested is below.

"While school is in session throughout the year, students have access to breakfast and lunch every day," said Food Service Director Nicole Melia. "However, when school is closed over winter break, it is very possible that these students will go without at least one – and possibly both – of these meals each day. We don’t want that to happen."

Targeted to help families in need, the food drive provides them with breakfast and lunch items over the winter break.

So that students don’t go without breakfast or lunch while school is closed at the end of December, the food service department reaches out to families in advance of the holiday season.

Families who would like to receive help can opt-in to receive food donations.

"Last year, through the generosity of those who donated food, we assisted 63 families," Melia said. "Those families included almost 150 children. But our ability to help relies on our community’s willingness to help."

Want to make a donation to the annual food drive? Below are some suggestions:

• Individually boxed cereals
• Cereal bars
• Juice boxes
• Canned juice
• Boxed milk
• Individually packaged puddings and jello
• Healthy individual dry snacks
• Canned soups
• Tuna
• Whole fruit
• Cheese or peanut butter crackers
• Energy bars
• Trail mix
• Individual serving size nut packages
• Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruit, and vegetables
• Dried Foods
• Any individual or small packaged dry shelf-stable products.
• A check made payable to Great Valley Food Service Department (please mark "food drive" on memo line)

"We accept all nonperishable kid-friendly foods," Melia said. "Our goal is to ensure that no student goes hungry this holiday season."

Call (610) 889-2125, extension 51979 with questions about the food drive.