UTICA — For the 14th year, non-perishable food items will be collected during Utica’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 11. The Food Drive benefits the Mother Marianne West Side Kitchen, which is named for Saint Marianne Cope, a Utica-native who was canonized as a saint by Pope Benedict XVI in October 2012.

If you are planning to attend the parade, bring a non-perishable food donation and  check the expiration date to ensure the item is still usable. Containers will also be available for those wishing to make monetary contributions.

After the parrade, all food donations will be delivered  to the Mother Marianne West Side Kitchen.

In the past 13 years, well over 13,000 food items and more than $14,000 have been collected and donated to the West Side Kitchen.