Pope Francis Society

Pontiff’s commitment to poor inspires new food collection outreach at Parsippany parish

PARSIPPANY  Each week, socially minded parishioners place donated food and household items in a simple gray box that stands in the lobby of St. Christopher Church here to help poor clients of the food pantry at Hope House, Dover, an agency of diocesan Catholic Charities. The roughly three-foot-high box displays a color photo of Pope Francis, the inspiration for this year-old outreach, and sports an unadorned design that mirrors the simplicity of the way the pontiff lives his own life.

In a sense, this box stands at the center a new ministry at St. Christopher’s: the Pope Francis Society, a parish-wide food collection that provides Hope House with a constant stream of donations either weekly or every other week. This allows the agency to stock larger quantities of each item. It was St. Christopher’s pastor, Father Joseph Buffardi, who proposed the idea of starting the Morris County parish’s food collection program for the poor and naming it in tribute to Pope Francis, who inspires him in his priesthood.

“I am a Pope Francis fan. I love his belief in the fundamental option for the poor and that we should be all inclusive. He is humble and simple. He lives it, not only talks about it. It’s how he relates to people,” said Father Buffardi, who noted that the Pope Francis Society donates more than 500 pounds of food monthly to Hope House. “It’s simple and effective. If I tell parishioners what to bring, they will bring it. They are so generous,” he said.

A simple mission statement that quotes Jesus — “If you love me, feed my sheep” — powers the Pope Francis Society, which was started by Father Buffardi and Kathy Mittermaier, a parishioner, who organizes it. Her husband, Robert, built the box, which is located to one side in the church lobby. Taped to the box along with Pope Francis’ photo is the recent list of food requests — one of three such lists that the parish publishes in the bulletin and rotates monthly, Father Buffardi said.

Parishioners drop off the donations each week, when they come to St. Christopher’s for Mass. The wooden box has been outfitted with wheels, so Hope House staff can push it out to its van during pick-ups. Often, the box is filled to overflowing, said Sharon Horvath, food pantry coordinator.

The first list ask parishioners for peanut butter, pasta, spaghetti sauce, juice, canned corn, baking mixes, mustard, catsup, dishwashing liquid, laundry deodorant, tooth paste and deodorant. The second list asks for cold cereal, granola bars, cookies, crackers, tuna, canned chicken meat, canned fruit, bath tissues, facial tissues and paper towels. The third list asks for pancake mix, pancake syrup, tea, coffee, soup, rice, canned beans of any variety, jelly, macaroni and cheese and pasta side dishes, she said.

Since last year, St. Christopher’s has deepened its commitment to Hope House beyond the Pope Francis Society. The parish donated more than 1,000 pounds of food from its Thanksgiving food drive last fall. It plans to throw a baby shower for Hope House this year, donating such items as diapers, formula and crib blankets. When the parish comes across some extra funds, it often donates them to Hope House, because “I’m confident that they will get to the people, who need it,” Father Buffardi.

Father Buffardi forged a connection with Hope House because of his deep commitment to social justice and his previous relationship with the Father English Community Center, Paterson, another Catholic Charities agency, during the 12 years he served a pastor of St. Mary Parish, Paterson.

It’s the mission of the Pope Francis Society to answer its namesake’s call for all Catholics to extend compassion and care for the poor. “Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor and for enabling them to be fully a part of society. This demands that we be docile and attentive to the cry of the poor and to come to their aid,” Pope Francis writes in his apostolic exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel” (187).

Established in 1971, Hope House, a multi-service agency, provides for the behavioral health and social service needs of individuals and families in Morris County, who have little or no resources. St. Christopher’s outreach also keeps Hope House’s food pantry well stocked with many non-food-items, which clients are not permitted to buy with Food Stamps, such as shampoo, liquid dish detergent and paper towels. “They are hard to keep on the shelves, because they are so expensive to donate,” Horvath said.

“Our clients are so grateful,” said Horvath, who noted that the food pantry serves people from the surrounding communities — not only those who use other Hope House services — and that they can shop for the foods and household items that they want. “St. Christopher’s is a wonderful parish that is helpful to us. Father Joe understands what we do and how we are working. It is a great partnership,” she said.