Sewickley Martial Arts Academy food drive nets food, other items for local food pantries

Students and staff from Sewickley Martial Arts Academy collected approximately 250 pounds of food, paper and cleaning supplies for the local pantry during the school’s first food drive.

The collection ran from December 5th to 18th and all donations were delivered to the Academy at 201 Ohio River Blvd.

Items were recently distributed to the Sewickley Community Center food pantry and the Coraopolis Community Development Corp. food pantry.

Coraopolis got over £70 of food and over £40 of paper/cleaning products, while Sewickley got £140 of paper/cleaning products, according to an email from the academy.

“Most of the students at this school are from the Quaker Valley and West Hills,” said Master Jose Girard, a sixth degree black belt and school owner. “And the education staff felt that giving back to these communities was the right thing to do this holiday season.

“Once we agree to create a food drive, instructors will spread the word to students and their families, create flyers, write emails, and actively encourage anyone visiting the school to donate as much as possible. And I was really responsible.”

SCC volunteer and board member Miriam Rader said her pantry had received plenty of food from the Quaker Valley Middle School food drive prior to the Academy effort, but needed more of the other items.

“They loaded up with all the supplies that we routinely try to distribute: soap, laundry soap, toiletries, paper products,” Raeder said. “It was amazing.”

Rader thanked the academy for its contributions and promoted the drive as an educational opportunity for students.

“Kids learn about food, so it’s kind of a win-win,” she said.

Sewickley Food Pantry is located at 15 Chadwick Street and is open from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month.

Approximately 10 households are assisted per distribution. People are required to bring proof of Quaker Valley area residency. No income information is required.

Academy instructor Jon Radermacher said all food and other items were sent to Coraopolis.

“I was very impressed by two aspects: how quickly and generously our school families responded, and the ‘all inclusive’ spirit among the instructors,” Radermacher said. rice field. “Some instructors we work with regularly, others not. But all of us worked together to plan and execute this in a very short time frame. intend to do something.”

The Coraopolis Food Pantry is open at 1108 4th Avenue the first and third Sundays of August through December from noon to 2pm.

For more information on the program, visit coraopolisfoundation.org/food-pantry.

For more information on Sewickley Food Pantry, visit sewickleycommunitycenter.com/local-food-pantry.

For more information about the Sewickley Martial Arts Academy, visit sewickleymartialarts.com.