For more than 30 years, Delbarton has held the Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. As a community, our goal is to raise 50,000 pounds of non-perishable food, which we donate to the Community Soup Kitchen in Morristown. With our donation, this soup kitchen is able to serve three hot meals a day to over 350 guests all year round.

One of the major improvements to the Delbarton Thanksgiving Food Drive is the collection and storage facility at 600 Jockey Hollow Road. This one-time church is now the focal point of the Thanksgiving Food Drive. Every morning and afternoon, parents and students help  weigh donations and warehouse the food. One major advantage of the Thanksgiving Food Drive is its nexus to the Deanery System. The more food an individual Deanery donates, the more points they receive. This gives students an incentive to donate and to assist the community in the best capacity.

Ultimately, the Thanksgiving Food Drive embodies the Benedictine values that guide life at Delbarton. Chapter 53, verse 15 of the Rule of Saint Benedict reads: “Great care and concern are to be shown in receiving poor people and pilgrims, because in them more particularly Christ is received.” Year after year, Delbarton collects thousands of pounds of food because God calls us to be hospitable: to treat and respect everyone as a child of God. Through the donations to the Thanksgiving Food Drive, our relatively small community has the opportunity to impact the vast outer community –sharing God’s riches and love with all of His children.

With the change in the school calendar this year, the two school days of Thanksgiving Week, which were traditionally heavy donation days, will be days without classes or students.  The result is a shortening of the collection period.  Therefore, it is imperative that we get out early to do the ‘bulk buying’ and make certain the donations are delivered before this weekend.  As a Community of Christ, please, be proactive and donate as much as you can to make this year’s Thanksgiving Food Drive a complete success.