Top photo by Alan M. Dumoff
Students at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, Pennsauken, prepare to load a 25-foot Pepsi truck with Thanksgiving baskets that will be delivered to the needy in South Jersey; Below right, Bishop McHugh students donate non-perishable items to the Holy Redeemer food pantry.
In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, schools and parishes throughout the Diocese of Camden worked to help the less fortunate during this holiday season.
Some examples at local schools:
At Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken, school families once again participated in the annual Thanksgiving food drive called “Family to Family Thanksgiving Baskets.” Students and their families purchased the necessary food for a Thanksgiving meal for a family of six to eight, assembling the meal in a basket or container.
Partnering with Pepsi Cola and National Brand Beverage Ltd., to supply and deliver the meals, the baskets were blessed and distributed on Thursday, Nov. 18 through St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Camden; St. James Church, Camden; Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Camden; and the South Jersey Food Bank.
The same day, Bishop McHugh Regional School, Dennis Township, delivered non-perishable food to Holy Redeemer food pantry in Swainton, that was donated by students and their families during their annual Thanksgiving food collection. The executive board members of Team Mercy, a student outreach program at the school, also helped stock the shelves at Holy Redeemer to replenish the food supply. The donated food will go to those in need in Cape May County.
On Tuesday, Nov. 23, members of Our Lady of Peace Parish in Williamstown gathered as a community to put together baskets of food for a complete Thanksgiving dinner for 375 local families. Our Lady of Peace parishioners, students, faculty and staff of St. Mary School, and religious education families collected food and money to provide the 375 meals. Members of the Monroe Township Ministerium, the Rotary Club of Williamstown Sunrise, and the Catholic Daughters of America also contributed to the 12th annual drive at the parish.