Alumni Participate in 2015 Thanksgiving Drive
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Alumni came together on Tuesday, Nov. 24, to prepare Thanksgiving baskets that will be distributed in Jesuit’s 2015 Thanksgiving Drive.
Alumni from the 1950s to the 2010s returned to their alma mater to participate in Jesuit’s annual Thanksgiving Drive. The tradition dates back nearly 100 years and continues to bring back more alumni each year. At least as early as 1927, a Thanksgiving Drive was being organized by the student Sodality, who placed boxes in each classroom for the collection of food items for the city’s poor.
On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, alumni gather enough perishable and non-perishable items to provide a complete Thanksgiving dinner for needy recipients. The Class of 1983 also provides enough turkeys for not only the alumni baskets, but also for more than 270 student baskets. The alumni portion of the Thanksgiving Drive costs between $8,000 and $9,000, and a group of alumni from the 1970s and 1980s have coordinated class-level appeals dedicated to covering the expense. Alumni may donate to the drive to help cover the costs of providing these meals.
The effort started earlier this month when Mark Alvarez ’83 spoke to students at Morning Assembly, asked the Jays to consider their gifts and to give of their bounty, encouraging Blue Jays to do their best to provide a Thanksgiving meal for needy families in our area. The drive continued today as members of the Alumni Association gathered food items to pack boxes for 180 needy families in the metro area. Several individual alumni classes also have adopted families and will work on organizing those boxes for tomorrow’s delivery.
The Alumni Association will meet Wednesday morning to finish adding perishable items to the baskets. Many alumni will join with students and faculty in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs at the Prayer Service. The drive culminates with the basket delivery as alumni, students, faculty, and perhaps a parent or two, make their way to the neighborhoods of the city to brighten the lives of a few hundred families.
Thanksgiving Day Mass
The entire community of Jesuit High School is invited to celebrate Mass on Thanksgiving Day at 10 a.m. in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs.
Galleries
Thanksgiving Drive, Alumni, Nov. 24, 2015
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Br. Dardis '58 and Brett Grau '99 stand by as Mike Varisco '83 and Tommy Barbier '84 begin to unload the truck of groceries for Jesuit's 2015 Thanksgiving Drive. -
Brett Grau '99, John McMahon '87, Tim Harris '10 and Ray Faugeaux '73 unload groceries for Jesuit's 2015 Thanksgiving Drive. -
Tim Harris '10 and Woody Walk '69 help Mike Varisco '83 unload a pallet of onions for Jesuit's 2015 Thanksgiving Drive. -
Mike Varisco '83 pulls as Pat Huete '84 and Woody Walk '69 push a heavy pallet of onions for Jesuit's 2015 Thanksgiving Drive. -
Tommy Barbier '84 helps unload groceries for Jesuit's 2015 Thanksgiving Drive. -
John Laughlin '80 pushes in a cart of perishables for Jesuit's 2015 Thanksgiving Drive. -
The cafeteria is turned into a temporary, working warehouse of groceries for Jesuit's 2015 Thanksgiving Drive. -
Hank Ecuyer '51 and son John Ecuyer '83 determine how many cans go in each Thanksgiving basket for Jesuit's 2015 Thanksgiving Drive. -
Woody Walk '69 and Wayne del Corral '77 start to fill Thanksgiving baskets for Jesuit's 2015 Thanksgiving Drive. -
Ray Faugeaux '73, John Laughlin '80, and William Stoudt '07 distribute groceries to Thanksgiving baskets for Jesuit's 2015 Thanksgiving Drive. -
Billy Wright '78, John Laughlin '80, and Mark Hattier '84 who is visiting from Colorado, load cans onto a cart for the next round of filling Thanksgiving baskets for Jesuit's 2015 Thanksgiving Drive. -
Almost 20 alumni came together on Tuesday, Nov. 24 to prepare Thanksgiving baskets to distribute in Jesuit's 2015 Thanksgiving Drive. -
Each box contains a Happy Thanksgiving card from Jesuit High School. -
Tim Sicard '82 and sophomore John McMahon, Jr. ready boxes before the packing begins. -
Paul Queyrouze and Bryan Wolff of the Class of '82 assist building boxes. -
The Kitziger Family: Julie, Paul '88, Juliette, and Gordon, who is a pre-freshman -
The Simonson Family: Patrick '15, Judy, Sophie, and Eric '82 -
Tommy Barbier '84 and his daughter, Caroline -
Team Hellmers: Thomas '16, Carl '87, Will '20, and Carl IV '13 -
Dickie Dupré '83 and his son, Tate -
James '20, Greg '83, and David Kessler -
John McMahon '87 -
Fr. John Brown, S.J. lends a hands with the transferring of turkeys from the truck to the Jesuit cooler. -
Alumni director Mat Grau '68 thanks alumni and their families for the significant role they play in Jesuit's Thanksgiving Drive. -
Tre' Roux '87 with sons Henry and Louis -
The Class of 1982 is well represented: Paul Queyrouze, Rob Munch, Tim Sicard, Eric Simonson, Bryan Wolff, Chris Cappo, Mel Leveque, and Ronnie Camet. -
The McMahons: John, Jr.'18, Robert '19, John '87, Meghan, and Amy -
Alumni director Mat Grau '68 with Meghan McMahon (on right) and her friend Riley -
A Thanksgiving basket ready for delivery -
A final photo before the group heads for home. -
1983 classmates and friends Brian North, Malcolm Schwarzenbach, and Eric Derbes -
James Moises generously provided a bottle of wine from his California vineyard to classmates who donated at least $200 to this year's Turkey Drive. -
1983 classmates Tommy Capella, John Meyer, and Tommy Seeling -
At least four members of the Class of 1983 brought theirs sons to join the effort. -
2015 Turkey Drive chairman Mark Alvarez '83 announces and toasts next year's chairman, classmate John Hazard. -
Members of the Class of 1983 called this one of the most successful campaigns in the group's 19-year history of providing hundreds of turkeys to needy families across the city.
