St. Vincent cereal drive feeds Blair County
BluePrint staffers visited the St. Vincent DePaul food pantry this week to get a closer look at their charity cereal drive.
On Tuesday, members of the Blueprint went to visit the Saint Vincent DePaul Food Pantry to learn about the impact of B-A’s cereal drive, which is going on now through February.
The annual cereal drive, sponsored by the FCA, has collected thousands of boxes of cereal to stock the shelves of the food pantry located in Altoona.
BluePrint reporters asked co-founder, Bob McManis, and a volunteer, Jerry Milliron, what it meant to be a part of the project.
“It’s a good feeling that we can help people, and they appreciate us,” McManis said.
BA’s FCA has been the top contributing school in the area for years, and the group’s contributions have not gone unnoticed.
”The value of Bellwood’s contributions are very important because they allow us to give 1 to 2 boxes of cereal to each person,” said Milliron.
The FCA began its 2023 cereal drive at the beginning of the month, placing boxes in each homeroom in the high school and middle school. Students are encouraged to bring in cereal for the collection. At the end of the drive, the homeroom with the most boxes earns a reward.
Retired Marine Col. Donald Belsen, who also works with the Pantry, concluded with a message of remembering one’s own good fortune.
”No matter what you are going through, always know there’s someone out there less fortunate than you,” he said.
