Corpus Christi food drive

PATERSON  With summer now in full swing and children enjoying playtime outside, families, who are served by Catholic Charities, have one less worry thanks to the generosity of parishioners across the Paterson Diocese.

Last month, Catholic Charities hosted its diocesan-wide food drive on the Feast of Corpus Christi June 23 to fill its food pantry shelves for the summer months ensuring clients have the needed food items to feed their families. From pasta to cereal and vegetables to tuna, parishes in Passaic, Morris and Sussex counties joined together to make this year’s collection the most successful to date. In addition to food, parishes also collected personal hygiene products, household supplies and baby items including diapers.

Scott Milliken, CEO of Catholic Charities, said, “We are grateful to Bishop Serratelli, Msgr. James Mahoney, vicar general; the pastors of our parishes and the diocesan faithful who participated in this important endeavor. Catholic Charities is proud of the many parishioners who supported the Corpus Christi food drive. May God bless you all.”

Since being instituted by Bishop Serratelli in 2014, the Corpus Christi food drive has been held to alleviate the food shortage problem that occurred during the summer at the food pantries of Catholic Charities. Fewer donations would usually be received at Catholic Charities, which relies on parishes, schools, individuals and community groups to help stock the shelves. In addition to fewer food donations coming in during the summer, children, who are off from school for vacation, do not receive their regular meal at school, causing a food shortage for many low-income families.

Catholic Charities operates three food pantries throughout the Paterson Diocese — in Passaic County, the Father English Food Pantry in Paterson; in Morris County, the Hope House Food Pantry in Dover; and in Sussex County, the Partnership for Social Services Food Pantry in Franklin. Combined, all three food pantries serve 100 to 125 clients each day making for more than 25,000 visits per year to the pantries.

In May, Bishop Serratelli reached out to all parishes in the Diocese of Paterson to participate in the food drive. In a letter to pastors calling for participation in the collection, the Bishop wrote, “Catholic Charities here in our Diocese and around the United States continues to be ‘the hands of Christ’ in a world in need of greater compassion and service.”

Following the collection, food donations were taken to three drop-off sites, where stacks of food witnessed the outpouring of kindness by parishioners who took part in the food drive. Volunteers including deacons in the Paterson Diocese, sorted and/or distributed the food to the food pantries. In addition, more than $5,000 was raised through parish and individual contributions to purchase more food.

At St. Simon Parish in Green Pond, Father Richard Bay, pastor, said, “The generosity of the people of Morris County was overwhelming. The collection was above and beyond what we expected to collect. The response from parishioners at St. Simon’s was fantastic. They volunteered their time to check the food for expiration dates and the packaging of the food was superb.”

Father Bay, who also serves as the Minister to Senior Priests, Dean of the Northern Morris Deanery and Chairman, Priestly Life, also thanked the Office of the Permanent Diaconate who sent volunteers to assist in sorting the food and getting it to the pantries for distribution quickly. “Their help was greatly appreciated. It was wonderful to see so many come together with donations of food and sharing their time and talent,” he said.

Families coming into the Father English Food Pantry after shelves were stocked were grateful to see the kindness of so many. “Our clients are leaving the food pantry with big smiles on their faces,” said Carlos Roldan, director of the Catholic Charities food pantries, “They are thanking us and blessing us for all the food, cleaning supplies, baby diapers and formula. Without our parishioners’ help it is impossible for us to help our less fortunate brothers and sisters in need. God bless you.”