Even on Thanksgiving break, Gonzaga Prep students gathered Wednesday to distribute more than 227,000 pounds of food to individuals, families and local food banks.

SPOKANE, Wash. — Thousands of people will now have a full pantry thanks to Gonzaga Preparatory School’s annual food drive. 

On the cloudy morning the day before Thanksgiving, Gonzaga Prep students spent the morning shining a light and helping address food insecurity in the Spokane community. 

The school sponsors a school-wide food drive every year to feed community members and donate food to help keep local food pantries stocked for the holidays. 

“I think this year our students recognized there was a greater need,” said Kelton Doolittle, a senior at G-Prep. “This is really just going to neighbors from neighbors.” 

The food drive has been running since 1958, and has only grown. This year, the students broke a record. 

“That year they served 20 families, and this year we are currently serving over 250,” said Doolittle. 

Students have been collecting items for the food drive since Nov. 7 and raised more than 227,000 pounds of food. Organizers say the food will help more than 2,000 individuals, 17 local food banks, and more than 250 families across the Inland Northwest. 

“It was truly overwhelming the amount of love that each can symbolized for us,” said Francis Chau, who once benefited from the food drive she is now in charge of. “My parents did everything they could, we just knew that we needed an extra hand in order to know what our next meal was going to be.” 

The students are already out of class for the Thanksgiving holiday, so Chau knows they’ll take away the lesson of how to be a good neighbor. 

“This is one of the biggest life lessons that they can ever learn, so it’s one thing to learn it in the classroom, but now they are actually doing the work and working in community with one another,” said Chau.Â