The Joy of Giving

The Ave Maria School of Law Thanksgiving Food Drive was an immense success this year!  Together we raised over 1500 cans and other food items to donate to Catholic Charities. 

This amazing organization follows a mission of compassion.  “The mission of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc., is to fight poverty, strengthen families and build communities.  Agency services and programs shall ensure human dignity and enhance the quality of life for all persons regardless of race, creed, color or religious affiliation.  The populations we serve across all our programs can be seen in the accompanying demographic reports.  The vast majority are at or below the poverty level as determined by current Federal Standards.”

Catholic Charities helps hundreds of people in the community, including “individuals, couples, children, families, single parents, non-custodial families, refugees, migrant farm workers, and many others in need of specific assistance.”

We want to express our gratitude to the entire Ave student body!  Without your generosity, we would not have succeeded this year!  With your assistance, we were able to provide aid and assistance to our community through donations to Catholic Charities.  When we dropped off the food this morning, it was uplifting to see the number of people working at Catholic Charities to help others.  

The Can Warz collected hundreds of cans!

We would also like to thank Phi Alpha Delta for organizing and conducting the Can Warz event!  This was an integral part of the Thanksgiving Food Drive, and we are grateful for all that you did! 

Volunteers unpack the dozens of boxes of food donated by Ave students, staff, and faculty.

Our thanks also goes to the Student Bar Association for generously assisting with promotion of the Thanksgiving Food Drive throughout the month of November.  Your aid demonstrates how our Ave community works together to help the larger community.  Thank you!

Dropping off the computers at Catholic Charities.

Our thanks goes to Dean Cieply and the Ave It Department as well.  In the spirit of giving, they graciously donated 16 computers, monitors, and keyboards to Catholic Charities as well.  As St. Francis of Assisi once said, “It is in giving that we receive.”  And it is truly a gift that we receive seeing how our donations go out to help so many members of our community.

As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, we extend our thanks to all of you for participating in the Thanksgiving Food Drive this year.  We keep you and your families in our prayers, and we wish you well wherever you go as you wing your way about the world.