Thanksgiving Basket Collection Will Help More Than 150 Local Families In Need

Among the many tremendous community service activities fostered by the Iona College community one of the most highly anticipated events of the year is the Thanksgiving Basket Collection, coordinated by the Office of Mission & Ministry.

Service, Advocacy

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Among the many tremendous community service activities fostered by the Iona College community one of the most highly anticipated events of the year is the Thanksgiving Basket Collection, coordinated by the Office of Mission & Ministry. The annual Iona tradition finds representatives from across campus coming together to help local families who are struggling this holiday season by collecting food items for Thanksgiving dinner in a personalized basket.

Student organization and clubs, Athletics teams, administrative offices, and academic departments contributed baskets of food with a personalized card for the family recipient. This year, Iona donated nearly 150 baskets through three organizations: HOPE Community Services in New Rochelle, Greyston Foundation Child & Youth Services in Westchester County, and Abraham House in the Bronx.

"It is hard to think of another event which brings our campus community closer to the heritage of Edmund Rice’s deep concern and compassion for our neighbors who are poor and marginalized than the annual Thanksgiving Basket Collection," said Carl Procario-Foley, Ph.D., director of Mission and Ministry.

On Monday, November 19, the Iona community gathered in Mulcahy Gymnasium for the collection and blessing of the baskets before packing vans for the delivery that night.

The annual tradition began in the early 2000s at Iona College, over the past four years, the College community has donated more than 500 baskets to families in need.

Visit Iona's Office of Mission and Ministry on the web for more information on Iona's community service initiatives.

ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2025 national list of “The Best 390 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.