Thanksgiving dinners go to 150 needy families

A steady flow of individuals and families passed through St. Jude Community Center on North Rampart Street Nov. 20 to receive a turkey with all the trimmings just in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

St. Dominic’s Young Adult Group partnered with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to make the holidays a little brighter for 150 families who were identified as in need by Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

“It was really wonderful; people were really grateful,” Our Lady of Guadalupe’s pastor, Oblate Father Tony Rigoli, said.

“We wanted to have something very nice, so we had a frozen turkey, frozen gourmet pie, frozen green beans,” said St. Dominic Young Adult Group (YAG) member Angela Papale McCann, 28, who checked families in to receive the baskets. “Each family got four to five fresh sweet potatoes, and we did two cans of cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, two boxes of Stovetop stuffing and Bunny Bread rolls.”

McCann said the event was made possible by the kindness of a donor who paid for the turkeys and by St. Dominic parishioners who responded to a parish bulletin notice and Mass collection Nov. 12-13.

“They were very generous,” McCann said. “People were dropping off checks to the rectory, and a good amount of people donated online.” A St. Dominic Young Adult member also had connections to a food distributor that helped members get food at a low cost.

McCann, a theater teacher for Jefferson Parish and a two-year St. Dominic YAG member, said the group had done a Thanksgiving service project three years ago and decided a few months ago they wanted to repeat the effort. She found it heartwarming to see smiles on people’s faces and witness younger adults collecting the food for the elderly who couldn’t get there.

Recipients were thankful

YAG member Jessica Giusti Jambon said those receiving the food boxes not only said thank you, but “God bless you” for the charity.

“I think there were a lot of happy families this thanksgiving and, hopefully, the families also benefitted from the prayer card we gave every family in their baskets to pray around the dinner table, especially those who were not as fortunate as we this giving season,” Jambon said.

The 15 YAG members heard personal hardships as they helped individuals to their cars with food.

“One woman became very emotional and began to open up to me about how difficult this year has been for her financially and healthwise,” said Dominican Brother Mariano Veliz, who is spending a pastoral year at St. Dominic. “This was an opportunity for her to pour out her heart to me. I was thankful to God and to her. She was a blessing to me, a reminder that Christ is here among us in each and every person we encounter, including the poor and suffering.”

 In addition to St. Vincent de Paul and YAG members, St. Jude volunteers and their children were adding rolls and other food to the boxes.

St. Vincent de Paul’s Kelly Parker said St. Vincent de Paul has worked with St. Jude for sometime due to the tremendous need of the area’s individuals, but it was the first time for an alliance with St. Dominic’s Young Adult group. 

“The youth group came up with an idea for a Thanksgiving give-away,” Parker said. “It was their fund-raiser.”

The Young Adult Group at St. Dominic was formed in 2008  “to give young adults in the area a chance together to share their Catholic faith, build community and have a little fun in the process.”

It has grown to include young adults from all over New Orleans who meet weekly on Thursdays from 6-7:30 p.m. in Aquinas Hall, next to the adoration chapel on Memphis street. Its Web site is st.dominicyag.com.

McCann said she stays involved because of “the fellowship of being with other young adults seeking relationship closer to the Lord and other Catholics who are seeking to grow in their faith, more than just on Sundays.”

The Thanksgiving project touched members as much as it did those who received the food baskets.

“It was very comforting to know that we were able to alleviate some of their hardship this Thanksgiving holiday by helping out with the fund-raising and with coordinating the event,” Brother Mariano said. “Extending ourselves in this way is a reminder that the Gospel is meant to be proclaimed not merely with loving words but with loving actions.  I’m so happy that I was able to be a part of this project.”

Christine Bordelon can be reached at [email protected].