We delivered 85 hot meals, 120 sandwiches and 40 toiletry kits to two homeless shelters and a soup kitchen in White Plains during last night’s Soup Run. We are delivering 60 hot meals to a homeless shelter in New Rochelle this afternoon. Our Soup Run has evolved and taken on a new sense of importance during the Coronavirus crisis.
Our committed group of Soup Run volunteers and Fr. Nick had frequent conversations during the last two weeks to assess whether we could serve our guests in New York City. We decided that when we couldn’t serve in the City, we would shift our focus to local needs. Prior to the pandemic, shelter residents would go out during the day and had access to other food sources. Now, they are staying in the shelters during the day and most restaurants have closed. Food options are extremely limited. We were very happy to help feed the 60 men and women at the Oasis Shelter in New Rochelle (https://hopecommunityservices.org/), 25 women at Samaritan House, 50 men at Open Arms, and 100 guests at Grace’s Kitchen – all in downtown White Plains. The shelters and soup kitchen are run by Lifting Up Westchester (https://www.liftingupwestchester.org/). Grace’s Kitchen gives out sandwiches, which are especially in demand on Fridays when guests take a sandwich or two to eat during the weekend. We are blessed and fortunate to have the resources to provide chicken and turkey meals and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to feed those who are hungry. Our community has a long history of preparing meals for Oasis through our Cooking for Hope and our GOYA youth programs. We are very happy to continue and expand these programs during this crisis.
When we arrived at the shelters, strict protocols were in place around accepting our food donations. We had been pre-approved and were able to drop off pans of hot, delicious food. One of the shelters was in the process of power washing the tables to ensure a clean and germ-free environment. They thanked us repeatedly for remembering them.
Our commitment to feeding those who are hungry in Westchester will continue for the next four weeks. We are providing 60 meals to Oasis, twice per week for the next four weeks. Now, since we are no longer able to gather as groups to cook, we are relying on the incredible kindness of Manny Louros who is donating his time to prepare all meals and sandwiches. After we emerge from this crisis and you see Manny, please give him a hug and thank him for his tireless efforts.
What can you do? We need two volunteers to take meals from Holy Trinity to Oasis on the following dates: April 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, and 24. If you are available to deliver, please contact Despina Kartson at dkartson@gmail.com.
Thank you to the donors, supporters and volunteers of the Soup Run. Your kindness and generosity enable us to continue to serve the much-needed meals to those who are hungry. This month we express gratitude to our supporters from across Westchester and Rockland Counties:
- Kathleen Haverlack & Joan Heller for their sponsorship
- Manny Louros for preparing the meals and sandwiches
- Minos Samoladas for his generous donation which enabled us to purchase clothing
- Georgeann Mavrovitis and Loredana Soravito Curtis for preparing the toiletry kits
If we are able to have our usual Soup Run next month, please join us on April 30th. In the meantime, we will continue to communicate with you about our activities and ways in which you can help. We are collecting hand wipes, toilet paper, bath towels and board games for the shelters. Please drop off donations at the glass doors by the social hall. Stay home, stay safe, be well and pray for the health of all.