Students Donate Pinto Beans and More Than $1,000

Students at Frassati Catholic High School collected 1,222 pounds of pinto beans and raised $1,146.12 to donate to Casa Juan Diego in downtown Houston. The beans and money were collected over the course of the school’s Spirit Week at the end of October. On Wednesday, Nov. 19, students loaded the beans into the cars of John Gastmyer and Chuck Yost, members of the St. Edward Knights of Columbus Council, and presented them with a check of the funds raised by the students to take to the house downtown.

Casa Juan Diego, founded in 1980, follows the Catholic Worker model of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, and serves immigrants, refugees, and the poor in the downtown Houston area.

This is the second year that students at Frassati Catholic have supported this ministry.

“Each day during our Spirit of Frassati Week, the students would unload pennies and pintos right out of their school bags and pockets, in much the same way Blessed Pier Giorgio offered his food to those in need,” said Assistant Principal of Student Life, Luke Slonkosky.

“This project is one way for our students to follow our patron and serve the poor through simple gifts of pennies and pinto beans. We are all inspired by the amazing staff and volunteers at Casa Juan Diego,” said Slonkosky. “They offer so many services right in the heart of Houston. We look forward to future projects and pray for their continued efforts to serve the poor.”

About Frassati Catholic High School: Founded in 2013, Frassati Catholic High School serves the families and parishes in the north Houston area of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Administered by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation, Frassati Catholic High School prepares students to walk on the path of true happiness through a robust college-preparatory curriculum rooted in the Catholic faith. The school currently serves freshman and sophomore students, and will add a grade in each of the next two years. For more information about Frassati Catholic High School, contact Mr. Kyle Smith, director of communications, at 832-616-3227.