Heading into this year’s Irish Miracle, a Sarnia high school driven event that stocks the shelves of the local St. Vincent de Paul Society, spokesperson Vanessa Borody called it a labor of love.
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“Their food bank is full and our Irish hearts are, too,” Borody said Sunday via text.
After going door to door along hundreds of city streets to collect food and hygiene items from 9 am to noon on a snowy Saturday morning, the goods were brought back to St. Patrick’s high school to be sorted and loaded onto the St. Vincent de Paul van. Officials counted more than 4,300 reusable bags of varying sizes filled with donations, although volunteers on 12 of the more than 100 routes didn’t count their bags.
St. Vincent de Paul officials told Borody the amount of food collected last year was on par or slightly more than the 7,000 plastic bags’ worth collected in 2022.
“It was a little bit busier last year so there were a few routes we didn’t get covered, but I would say it’s been a super successful year,” Borody said Saturday while dozens of people sorted out the donations inside the school on The Rapids Parkway. “My apologies to those who put food out and it didn’t get picked up.”
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Angela Schram, who volunteered to collect food along with her daughter, Ashley Schram, a Grade 11 St. Pat’s student, enjoyed the experience.
“That was awesome out there this morning,” Angela Schram said. “Lots of people were supportive, too, so it was great.”
Borody said they heard from canvassers some people weren’t able to donate due to rising grocery prices.
“On that note, I am so grateful for the generosity of those who could and did give. The need is so great,” she said. “We also had a significant amount of funds donated.”
A count of the cash wasn’t available Sunday.
Borody said the vibe around the school on Monday is different than a normal day, with students sharing photos and memories of the donation day.
-with files from Tyler Kula
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