
By Joseph Valenza ’24
RAMSEY NJ – With the rapid approach of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Don Bosco Prep community once again stepped up to collect food for various food pantries across Bergen County.
Though the donations for the 2022 food drive had started off slowly at first, the students at DBP stepped up to eventually surpass the goal of 15,000 lbs of donated food. Through the efforts of Youth Ministry and the Don Bosco Administration, events were organized to boost the amount of food donations, including a dress-down day on November 18 for all students who brought five non-perishable food items.
Another notable proponent of the 2022 food drive was the World Language Department, in which some teachers had offered extra credit to students who donated food items. Students of Italian classes had the opportunity to donate a box of pasta and sauce for an extra five point grade, while Latin students were able to donate five cans for extra credit points on their next test.

All of the items brought in for the 2022 food drive are being donated to various local charities:
- Center for Food Action (Mahwah, NJ)
- St. Paul Food Pantry (Ramsey, NJ)
- Ramsey Responds (Ramsey, NJ)
- Blue Star Families
The Thanksgiving Prayer Service acted as both a conclusion to the 2022 Food Drive and sendoff to the student body before Thanksgiving break. The service commenced with a reading of the Gospel of John by Deacon Douglass FitzMorris, followed by a homily. After the service had concluded, Mr. Moore delivered a brief but thought-provoking speech about gratitude: he had discussed whether Don Bosco Prep is thankful as a community and asked the audience what they were grateful for in their lives. The speech ended with a reminder that Thanksgiving is a time to step back from the complexity of life to remember God’s blessings.
The last part of the prayer service revealed the results of this year’s food drive: a total of 16,067 lbs donated by all four grades, surpassing the goal of 15,000 lbs of food. As a result of meeting the donation goal, Christmas break will be extended an extra day, making January 4th the date that students will resume classes.
Throughout the run of the 2022 food drive, a small competition between grades was held to determine which class could donate the most food. The Senior class of 2023 held the lead during a majority of the time and ended with a total of 4,457 lbs. Though it appeared that they would win the competition, the Freshman class of 2026 stole the podium with the aid of Mr. James SanMartino, the parent of Francis SanMartino ‘26. The donation consisted of 2,372 lbs of food, which was not only essential in reaching the total food goal, but was also critical in determining the the results of the inter-grade competition – the Freshman class emerged as the victor with a total of 6,117 lbs of donated food.
Overall, the 2022 food drive was a success, as it will provide food to many charities that will focus on aiding low-income individuals and families. The Don Bosco Prep community has once again united together to grow in faith and support those in need.