MORRISTOWN Filling the trunk of an SUV with tray after tray containing frozen meals, children from Assumption Parish here wanted to feed their neighbors in need. As part of a Lenten project to feed the hungry, the children inspired the parish family of Assumption to help the Father English Center in Paterson. In addition to the frozen meals, the young people, part of Assumption’s Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, also collected household cleaning supplies and baby items for service recipients of the diocesan Catholic Charities agency.
Ranging in age from 9 to 12, the Level III students of the Good Shepherd program asked parishioners on Ash Wednesday during a prayer service to start the season of Lent for donations to help feed those in need and provide needed meals and supplies. They also wrote handwritten letters reminding parishioners the words of Jesus: Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34).
Tara Speer, coordinator of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, said, “We did this collection to prepare our hearts for Easter. We wanted our Level III children to think about our brothers and sisters in need.”
The Father English food pantry in Paterson has seen a significant increase in people needing food to feed their families in the last few years, especially due to the pandemic and now high inflation rates causing food prices to skyrocket. With the continuous increase in the cost of living, such as housing expenses and the cost of home heating oil and gasoline, there is no end in sight for the need, according to Carlos Roldan, food pantry director.
“We are feeding families in record numbers,” said Roldan. “We give out more than 1,000 bags of food every single day and we are grateful to these children who thought about the people we help here at the Father English Center.”
Parishioners at Assumption prepared the meals in aluminum food trays provided by the young people, which were available after weekend Masses. Some of the suggested meals included penne pasta, ziti, chili, and beef stew, which were then frozen. The young people of the parish wrote a handwritten note with a drawing to the families who will receive these meals. The recipients of the meals can easily reheat the food for their families.
Along with the meals, parishioners donated cleaning supply, including laundry detergent and soaps. This is often an unforeseen item collected for those in need, according to Roldan. Some of the baby items collected included diapers, blankets, pack and plays, clothes, and bottles.
On the Feast of St. Joseph, March 19, parishioners made the delivery of about 135 frozen trays of food to the downtown Paterson food pantry, which is now open on Saturdays to keep up with the demand for food in the city.
According to Assumption’s website, the Catechesis of Good Shepherd program is an approach to religious formation of children ages 3–12. Based on the educational principles of Dr. Maria Montessori, Sofia Cavalletti, a Hebrew and Scripture scholar, and Gianna Gobbi, began this educational method in 1954 and continues today throughout the world in more than 37 countries on five continents. The Missionaries of Charity, founded by St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, adopted the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for their catechetical work with children and in the formation of their sisters in 2009. Today the 5,000 Missionary of Charity Sisters who serve the "poorest of the poor" in 142 countries, help children come closer to God through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
“Our young people really feel for the people who are struggling,” said Speer. “We are grateful to all those who serve or work at Catholic Charities. We are very grateful for Carlos and the wonderful work he does to help so many in need at the food pantry.”