Issue of Oct. 25, 2007
Issue of Oct. 25, 2007
VOLUNTEERS AT WORK — O’Connell senior Caitlin Schaeffer (left) and junior Colin Milon (right) sort cans on the floor of the gym before they are loaded onto the truck. About 20 juniors and seniors helped sort, box and stack the 12,619 that were collected during the two-week drive. (HERALD Photo by Gretchen R. Crowe)
Two weeks ago, all the shelves in Christ House’s renovated basement
food pantry stood empty. A week later many were stacked high with thousands
of cans of soup, courtesy of Bishop O’Connell High School students
and their annual Chunky Soup Drive.
Sitting among old yearbook boxes and plastic grocery bags on the gym
floor, O’Connell juniors and seniors sorted through cans of red,
white and gold Friday morning, taking a brief break to recite the rosary
in a schoolwide assembly.
Each of the 12,619 cans donated (which beat last year’s total by
nine cans) means a meal for the poor or homeless, said Principal Dick
Martin to the students following the prayer.
“Bringing in soup may not seem like a big deal to you, but it is a big
deal for them,” he said. “I’m very, very proud of what you’ve
done. You should be proud of what you’ve done. You’ve helped the
less fortunate.”
Each O’Connell student was asked to donate eight cans of soup to
the annual Chunky Soup drive — and while a few didn’t follow
through, “the amount of school spirit and the amount of workers
makes up for that,” said senior Caitlin Schaeffer.
“I think (the drive) is very important for O’Connell,” Schaeffer
added. “If it weren’t important, the tradition wouldn’t have
stayed true for as long.”
Once the boxes were filled with layers of soup — sorted by size
in order for easy stacking — students loaded them onto a rented
truck for transportation to Alexandria. They labored under the watchful
eye of John Gutter, assistant principal for student life, whose 24 years
of experience with the more than 30-year-old drive was evident as he
directed the student-volunteers loading the truck.
Because so many youths have a “me first” attitude, Gutter
said, it was refreshing to see them giving back.
“It’s a great opportunity for them to share,” he said.
For more information on how to donate to Christ House go to www.ccda.net.
Gretchen R. Crowe can be reached at gcrowe@catholicherald.com.