The Life Skills Class from Lehighton Area Middle School completed a service project to benefit the Saint Vincent de Paul food pantry.

With the help of homeroom donations at the middle school, they collected 935 food items.

The class also secured a grant to go shopping for personal items needed at the pantry. Using this grant money, the class shopped at Dollar Tree and were able to purchase 188 personal items.

Last Friday morning, the Life Skills Class packed up and delivered a total of 1,123 items to Saint Vincent de Paul.

“The students were excited to be able to help people in the community,” said Vicky Meier, the teacher at Life Skills Class, who organized the project. “Students said that their favorite part of the service project was delivering the donations to the food pantry.”

The St. Vincent de Paul Society of SS Peter and Paul Church certainly appreciated the donations, said Esther Meier, president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society SS Peter and Paul Church, Lehighton.

“We at St. Vincent de Paul Society help our neighbors in need in various ways, through assistance with bills, community dinners and a food pantry and Vincent’s Closet, where we take donations of used clothing and new personal care items, such as soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, razors, shaving cream, toothbrushes and (toothpaste), we give these items out to the homeless and other people in need,” she said. “So this very generous donation will really help us expand the inventory for our food pantry and Vincent’s Closet.”