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Annandale religious ed students collect fresh produce for St. Lucy Project

Elizabeth A. Elliott | Catholic Herald Staff Writer

Amy Redington loads the truck bound for St. Lucy Project in Manassas with bags of produce at St. Ambrose Church Feb. 3. ELIZABETH A. ELLIOTT | CATHOLIC HERALD

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Religious education student Noah Relyea from St. Ambrose Church in Annandale hands Joe Gaziano bags of fresh produce to Joe Gaziano to take to the St. Lucy Project in Manassas Feb. 3. ELIZABETH A. ELLIOTT | CATHOLIC HERALD

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Fresh produce, including onions, potatoes, carrots, oranges,
apples and grapefruit, are making their way to needy families in Northern
Virginia thanks to 210 students from religious education classes at St. Ambrose
Church in Annandale. They filled a truck outside the school bound for Catholic
Charities St. Lucy Project in Manassas Feb. 3.

 

Laura Mead, director of religious education at St. Ambrose, said
the school and parish are supportive of Catholic Charities and agreed to do the
pilot produce drive, the first since St. Lucy Project added a refrigeration
system.

 

“We love what St. Lucy Project does and their vision of helping
even more people and getting more parishes involved,” said Mead. “They’re
always thinking of helping people in need, not only giving them the minimum but
really trying to show that they know the dignity of a person, and the more we
can do for people the better off we are.”

 

Parishioner Matthew Garcia came with his son, Jackson, to donate
to the food drive. “We want to set an example of how to help families,” said
Matthew. “We talk about how we are grateful for the things we have and try to
share when we can and help out others.”

“It’s difficult for the food insecure to
purchase fresh produce because it is so expensive,” said Patricia Kuntz, parish
outreach specialist with the St. Lucy Project. “We are grateful to St. Ambrose
to pilot this project and we look forward to more parishes donating these critical
food items.” 

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