ITSOG week is quickly approaching and the Westminster community is preparing its contributions to each charity. Every year, Westminster and its families spend the first week of November giving back to others by organizing drives to collect food, clothes, and toys.

A food drive kicks off the week, and all donations will go to Loaves and Fishes and Weekend on Wheels.

Loaves and Fishes is a food pantry located in Maryland Heights that has been serving the St. Louis area for more than 30 years. The food pantry is open five days a week, and caters to less fortunate people who cannot afford groceries. Loaves and Fishes requires each member to apply and be qualified to receive access to the food pantry. It also offers emergency food baskets, as well as shelters for women and children.

Weekend on Wheels, an organization within the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District, is the second charity for Monday’s food drive. Its mission is to provide meals on weekends for students who qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches during the week. Since more than half of the students in the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, Weekend on Wheels sends students home with suitcases full of meals for the weekend.

To assist these two organizations and their missions, please bring any sort of canned and boxed foods on Monday.