Diocesan Catholic Charities grateful for support

CLIFTON  Diocesan Catholic Charities celebrated a trifecta of major events in June which will benefit thousands of its service recipients through many of its social services and programs. The events held were the 12th annual Tank Pull, co­sponsored by Knights of Columbus councils in the Diocese on June 12; the ninth annual Corpus Christi Food Drive, which culminated on June 19; and the 48th annual Wiegand Farm Golf Classic, co­sponsored by Lakeland Bank on June 20.

Scott Milliken, CEO for Catholic Charities, said, “Over an eight-day period, Catholic Charities held three momentous events: the K of C/Catholic Charities N.J. Army Tank Pull, the Corpus Christi Food Drive, and Wiegand Farm Golf Classic. These events brought in thousands of supporters from within our Diocese and beyond, while raising needed funds and awareness for veterans in need, those who are food insecure, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the entire ministry of Catholic Charities. We would like to thank Bishop Sweeney for his support, leadership, and attendance at each of these events. We also thank the Diocesan faithful for their kindness and continued generosity. We are truly blessed.”

“Forty-seven teams at the Tank Pull, 400 golfers at our Wiegand Farm Golf Classic, and thousands of pounds of food donated through the Corpus Christi Food Drive. June is an impactful month for the Catholic Charities family. These events are important not only for the funds raised, but also to share the “good news” of our organization, Diocese and Catholic Church. They serve as a reminder to our communities that our volunteers and staff are doing God’s work each and every day,” said Christopher Brancato, director of development of Catholic Chari­ties, Diocese of Paterson.

Tank Pull

The annual Tank Pull held on Clifton Avenue here has raised $1.5 million to support combat-wounded warriors since its beginning. The challenge is a physical test of endurance, as competitors must make a determined effort to overcome the impossible odds of moving an immovable object — an 80,000­­-pound tank mounted on a flatbed truck.

Bishop Sweeney attended the annual Tank Pull challenge rooting for a team of seminarians and young priests. “It has been wonderful, over these past two years, to see Catholic Charities working with the Knights of Columbus, the town of Clifton and so many other community groups and organizations to support our veterans with the Annual Tank Pull,” the Bishop said. “I am particularly grateful to Scott Miliken and Chris Brancato for their leadership. I am also grateful to Father Ed Rama, our vocation director, who has formed a team of seminarians and young priests to participate in the Tank Pull. It is great that our seminarians can see the impact that Catholic Charities and the Knights of Columbus have as they partner with so many others to support our veterans.”

There were 47 teams from local communities who supported the veterans including a team of teachers from Garfield School 4, who participated in the Tank Pull in memory of the teachers and students who were fatally shot on May 24 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. To form a team, 20 members are needed and 55 teachers offered to be part of the team.

Ray Lill, a member of St. Philip’s Knights of Columbus in Clifton, helped organized the event and said, “Anytime you can do something to support the veterans, who have given so much of their lives, it’s an amazing thing. It was a great day. We were especially touched by the teachers who wanted to pull for those teachers and students in Texas.”

This year’s Tank Pull was the most successful to date and with this year’s support and success, the Tank Pull will surely be held again next year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was canceled in 2020. In 2021, Catholic Charities collaborated for the first time with the Knights of Columbus to co-host this event to support veterans in need.

The block-long event on Clifton Ave­nue was closed to traffic. Refreshments were sold, activities for children were provided, there were live performances from the Belle Tones and 63rd Army Band, and John Elliot from CBS2 broadcasted live from the event in the morning.

A Tank Pull record 47 teams came out to support veterans in need including local PBA’s; labor unions; corporations; The New Jersey State Knights of Colum­bus, local councils and assemblies; and community groups.

The winning teams this year were Team Department for Persons with Disabilities – 6.97 seconds (3rd place); Pullin Badgers / IBEW Local 94 – 6.91 seconds (2nd place) and Vergona Crane – 6.34 seconds (1st place).

Corpus Christi Food Drive

One week later, the annual Corpus Christi Food Drive was held in churches throughout the Diocese to mark the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. This food drive is immense and comes at a critical time. Inflation, rising food costs, and the lingering impact of the pandemic have Catholic Charities giving out more food than any time in their history. Summer has always been a challenging time for people struggling with food insecurity and this period further complicates the already existing challenges. This was Catholic Charities first “live” Corpus Christi Food Drive since 2019.

Nine years ago after a diocesan-wide appeal, the Corpus Christi Food Drive was created in which parishes in the Diocese are asked to collect specific grocery items to stock the shelves. The last two years have seen many challenges for diocesan Catholic Charities. Many have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most months, the food pantries gave out food to 5,000–7,000 people. That number has since quadrupled, with Catholic Charities giving out food to more than 20,000 children, women and men monthly.

The Corpus Christi food drive is unique in that parishioners across the Diocese were asked to purchase specific food items designated by their individual parish and return those items back to church. From there, the Diocese had a collection site in each count — Passaic, Morris and Sussex — where the food was sorted.

Bishop Sweeney said, “It is really beautiful that, as a Diocese, we do a food drive on the Feast of Corpus Christi. This year, we read from Luke’s Gospel at Mass and heard Jesus tell his disciples, ‘Give them some food yourselves’ and 2,000 years later, we were continuing to do what Jesus asked us to do. We are grateful to each person who contributed, to our pastors and parish teams who cooperated with Catholic Charities, and to all at Catholic Charities for their dedication to helping us provide food to our brothers and sister in need.”

“Catholic Charities is still stocking their shelves and receiving deliveries,” Brancato said, “but it is estimated that more than 15,000 pounds of food have been donated to help those most in need. This is a unique and special drive in that not only are food drives held, but also the diocesan faithful contribute specific types of food that are essential. Each parish had their own assignment, from peanut butter and jelly to breakfast foods, to canned vegetables. It is an immense endeavor. In addition to parish leadership, Catholic Chari­ties is grateful to Deacon Peter Cistaro and the deacons of the Diocese of Paterson, their dedicated volunteers and food pantry staff, including Carlos Roldan, director of food pantries,” said Brancato.

Wiegand Farm Golf Classic

The Wiegand Farm Golf Classic is one of the biggest golf outings in the country and the 48th annual was the largest in the event’s nearly 50-year history for Catholic Charities. The outing welcomed 400 golfers on three golf courses, also making it the venue’s largest event of the year.

Held in memory of event founder, Jack Kelly, who passed away in 2021, it also honored Humanitarians of the Year, Holiday Hope NYC; Knights of Columbus of the Year, the Morristown Knights of Columbus; Jack Kelly, Public Servant Award recipient; Jefferson Township Chief of Police, Paul Castimore; Partners in Business, Newton Medical Center; and Veteran Partner of the Year, Frank Arminio.

Bishop Sweeney, who enjoys playing golf, participated in this year’s event. “I am always happy when I can say ‘yes’ to an invitation to play in a golf outing,” the Bishop said, “but it is especially meaningful, now for the second year in a row, to play in and support the Weigand Farms Golf Classic.”

More than 50 volunteers helped make this event successful, including adults who live in the Department for Persons with Disabilities group homes and supervised apartments.

“The opening moments of this golf outing are a little different than most,” the Bishop said. “Just before the foursomes head out to begin their ‘round,’ there is an opportunity to see the 400 golfers all there to support DPD and, now in recent years, all of our diocesan Catholic Charities programs and ministries. On behalf of the Diocese and Catholic Charities, I am grateful to all who played in, supported, and sponsored the Weigand Golf Classic. Thank you.”