rosarian academy gleans food feed hungry

NEWS  RELEASE  July  17,  2015  For  immediate  release  Media  contact:  Cara  Hansen,  Director  of  Marketing  561-­‐345-­‐3103    Photo  ID:    001:  Rosarian  Academy  students  and  families  glean  cucumbers    Rosarian  Academy  Community  Gleans  8,000  Pounds  of  Food  to  Feed  Local  Hungry    Approximately  70  members  of   the  Rosarian  Academy  community  participated   in  a   large-­‐scale   gleaning  effort   to  provide   food   for   the   less   fortunate   in   Palm   Beach   County.   Pre-­‐school   through   eighth   grade   students   and   their  families   spent   the   morning   picking   an   estimated   8,000   pounds   of   cucumbers   that   were   delivered   to   the   Palm  Beach  County  Food  Bank.  By  working   in  partnership  with  more  than  100  hunger  relief  agencies,   the  Palm  Beach  County  Food  Bank  is  able  to  reach  nearly  100,000  hungry  residents  in  their  community.  Through  the  generosity  of  food  donated  by  local  farmers,  distributors,  retailers,  and  restaurants  they  were  able  to  distribute  nearly  5  million  pounds  of  food  in  the  2013-­‐14  fiscal  year.    According   to   Christians   Reaching   Out   to   Society   (C.R.O.S.  Ministries)   volunteers:   approximately   200,000   people  wake  up  each  morning   in  Palm  Beach  County  and  don’t  know   if   they  will  have  enough   food.  “Facts   such  as   this  make   the   students   and   families   feel   great   about   the   hard  work   of   picking   crops   knowing   that   it   is   serving   the  beautiful  purpose  of  feeding  people  in  our  very  own  community  who  may  not  otherwise  eat,”  said  Patrick  Hansen,  Middle  School  teacher  at  Rosarian  Academy  who  coordinated  the  gleaning  event  for  the  school  for  the  third  year  in   a   row.    Gleaning   is   so   important   because   an   estimated   52  million   pounds   of   produce   on   farms   are  wasted   every   year.  C.R.O.S.  Ministries  (CROS),  the  event  organizer,  works  with  local  farmers  to  allow  volunteers  to  glean,  or  pick,  the  crops   that   are   left   after   the   harvest   which   are   perfectly   edible   but   do   not  meet   supermarket   standards.   CROS  believes  that  to  be  successful   in  addressing  hunger,  the  community  must  come  together.  For  37  years,  CROS  has  brought   people   of   different   faiths,   civic   groups,   and  members   of   their   community   together   to  work   effectively  towards  the  common  goal  of  ending  hunger  in  their  county.  With  limited  staff,  they  utilize  the  talents  of  more  than  3,000   volunteers   to   operate   their   programs.   Through   this   meaningful   community   service   project,   the   students  experienced  the  power  of  making  a  positive  difference  in  the  lives  of  the  needy  in  their  community.  

Founded   in   1925,   Rosarian   Academy     educates   students   in   early   childhood   through   eighth   grade   and   offers   an  exceptionally  strong  academic  program  enriched  by  athletics,  visual  and  performing  arts,  and  community  service  opportunities.  The  private,  coeducational  Catholic  school  is  located  on  Flagler  Drive  in  downtown  West  Palm  Beach  and   is  sponsored  by  the  Adrian  Dominican  Sisters.  For  more   information,  visit  www.rosarian.org  or  call  561-­‐832-­‐5131.