Students from Mount St. Mary Academy's Z-Club pack up over10,000 food items they collected for local shelters. The collection, which ran through November and December, brought food to St. Luke's Mission of Mercy and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Tonawanda.

KENMORE — Mount St. Mary Academy celebrated the Advent season by sharing with those in need. Led by the student volunteer organization, Z-Club, students collected over 10,000 food items, which were donated to local shelters.

The food drive, which ran throughout November and December, collected canned goods and non-perishables that were donated to St. Luke's Mission of Mercy and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Tonawanda.

Teachers and clubs got into the spirit of giving, offering students additional incentives to increase giving.

The school also collected and donated over 300 shoebox gifts - shoeboxes filled with toys and personal items, which were be handed out at Christmas Eve at St. Luke's. Santa gave the presents to many of the city's needy families and growing refugee population.

"Our students are demonstrating God's love in a tangible way to needy children in our community," says Caroline Kos, co-moderator of MSM's Z-Club.

In December, students from the Z-Club spent a day at St. Luke's meeting with families and discussing their needs for the holidays. This personal connection provided students with an understanding for the individual needs of Buffalo's families and gifted them with the opportunity to see the impact that they are making on the community around them.