Staff and students from Wheeling Central Catholic High School gather Friday to go out into the community and distribute paper bags used during the school’s 60th annual canned food drive. (Photo Provided)

WHEELING — Students and staff at Wheeling Central Catholic High School are asking Wheeling residents for the 60th consecutive holiday season to place a bag of donated canned and boxed food items on their porch next week.

All students and staff at the school went out into the community on Friday to distribute empty brown paper bags on porches throughout the city.

“It’s a Central Catholic High School tradition,” explained principal Rebecca Sancomb. “It’s the largest canned food drive in West Virginia. On Friday, we dropped bags off on doorsteps. And on Saturday, Dec. 13, we will go back out to pick them up and hopefully they will be filled.”

The students and staff will be joined by family members when they return to the neighborhoods beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 13, and Sancomb noted the collection process typically does take “a couple of hours.”

From there, the bags will be transported to Catholic Charities, stored, and later distributed to those in need.

Prior to starting the drive on Friday, Catholic Charities Director Mark Phillips spoke to the students about how great the need is this year, according to Sancomb.

“It is essential for our community to think and act like Christ, and that is a hallmark of our service at WCHS. It is important to carry on as the need is so great in our community,” she said.

“There are so many suffering. If we can help in any way, we want to do it.”

Any canned or box food will be accepted as part of the food drive as long as it is not close to or beyond the expiration date.

“If a person wants to donate money, we can pass it on to Catholic Charities, or they can directly donate to Catholic Charities,” Sancomb said.