The spirit of generosity and giving is alive and well at SVM!  Through your outpouring of support, we were once again able to meet all of our commitments for our annual Thanksgiving Outreach Program.  Your donations of baskets, gift cards (more than $1,800) and financial support (more than $3,800) allowed the parish to provide the following:

• 111 baskets to local families
• 100 baskets to families whose children are enrolled in the Catholic Charities daycare centers in Paterson
• 50 baskets to the Vocationist Sisters in Florham Park who distributed the baskets in Newark
• 82 baskets, @ 155 lbs. of rice, @ 50 lbs. of beans, 125 lbs. of potatoes, 12 extra turkeys, 4 extra chickens and 11 boxes of canned goods to St. Agnes Church in Paterson

The sincere gratitude and appreciation expressed by those receiving a basket made all of our efforts worthwhile.
 
Thank you to the army of faithful volunteers who worked so tirelessly to help pick up our Shop-Rite order, process and deliver the baskets both locally and to St. Agnes.  Once again, a number of new volunteers joined us this year.  Hopefully, we didn’t scare them off!  Fr. Przemek devoted the majority of his day on Monday to assisting with the effort.
Through your phenomenal response, many families enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Thank you one and all!!
 
Barbara Eutsler, Thanksgiving Outreach Coordinator

 

 
What: THANKSGIVING OUTREACH– assembly and distribution of baskets of food containing all the “fixins” for a Thanksgiving meal.

Who it benefits: The hungry and needy in Madison, St. Agnes Parish in Paterson and others via agencies in both Paterson and Newark.
 
When it happens: Preparation of baskets by parish individuals and families typically occurs the week before Thanksgiving with the final effort to assemble donated items into baskets, sorting and delivery of baskets occurring the Monday prior to Thanksgiving.
 
Time commitment: Pledging a basket by taking a tag from a cornucopia near the altar, shopping for, assembling and delivering the basket to the parish gym can take a total of several hours.  Assisting in the gym on the Monday prior to Thanksgiving can be up to several hours but is up to the volunteer.  Delivery of the baskets that evening can also take up to several hours.  Of course, making a financial contribution toward the cause can take as little as a few minutes!
 
Coordinator:   Barbara Eutsler
                          Phone:  973-822-0387
                          E-mail:  bbeutsler@aol.com