ND’s Annual Food Drive

By Aryana Mehran '26

Thanksgiving season is the time to give back to your community, and here at Notre Dame our very own service club, ND Cares, sponsors a food drive in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving break. Each homeroom and the ND faculty compete to collect the highest number of cans and goods for a prize. Students could either bring cans into their homeroom or donate virtually through GiveHealthy, which goes directly to City Harvest. This year, more than ever before, food drives are necessary to keep families fed and healthy during the holiday season.

The Government Shutdown, which started on October 1, 2025, took place as Congress

struggled to pass twelve appropriation bills that would fund federal agencies. The shutdown lasted 43 days and was only recently resolved. Throughout the shutdown, and even for a short while after it, federal services were delayed. Millions of Americans suffered from the disruption of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides monthly food benefits for people to buy healthy groceries. Those who are elderly, low income, and disabled often rely on these benefits to survive. Due to the Government Shutdown, this program was underfunded and cut for many families in need, making the cans that ND collected were even more critical than in previous years.

Across all homerooms, we donated a total of 3,982 food items. Of those, 1,339 items

were donated digitally, and the rest were hand-delivered to the Xavier Mission by ND Cares members and students. For some friendly competition, ND Cares kept track of which homeroom collected the most cans. In 1st place were ND faculty and staff, who brought the most cans, and in 2nd place was Ms. Fargo’s senior homeroom for bringing the second most cans. Ms. Fargo’s seniors were awarded a free dress-down day for just them! It is incredible how our community came together during this time of need to do our part in improving the situation many families are facing.

To get involved in similar initiatives, you can sign up to volunteer at the Xavier Mission’s Sunday Welcome Table or organizations with similar missions in your area. At ND, it's our mission to give back to those who are less fortunate, especially in a time where our government is ever-changing, and to help give people a comforting and warm holiday season!

All Photos Courtesy of  Getty Images & ND Instagram

Edited by Kavya Chacko '26, Catherine Polatidis '26, & Ms. Brilliant

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