By Karen Boeck
Our advocate was at it again! During December 2-3, 2023, our advocate had a drive for all winter articles for the homeless. Coats, jackets, sweatshirts, jeans, shoes, socks, blankets, etc., all items to keep the homeless comfortable in the winter weather. Boxes were defined, instructions were issued; everything was in place and ready for processing. SVdP boxes of goods were already waiting for processing when members arrived to assist an hour before our 4:00 pm mass. Our parishioners were proactive, and boxes were overflowing! With all the organization and help, we were able to separate all goods into defined boxes and many of us still made the vigil mass! This process continued through the three Sunday morning masses.
The total of all items was 2,331 items, filling more than 40 full SVdP boxes. An estimate of 10 SVdP boxes were sent to Santa Teresita, holding 551 items. All remaining boxes were distributed to our main campus for their usage. Two members, Sue Harper and Martha Albano, worked alongside our advocate during both days, also helping while assisting members who were going to mass. Our members worked a total of 51 hours along with our advocate, making our event a well-run event. There are still items flowing in as our parish continues to assist us. We thank everyone for their assistance in bringing articles, helping in the process, and moving boxes to our Santa Teresita and downtown locations. Once again, our advocate has excelled in helping those in need. We thank our wonderful parishioners for their great support! Those in need will be warm throughout the winter thanks to our advocate and the support of all involved! Thanks be to God!
