It was a reunion of sorts during last night’s Soup Run. We happily reconnected with guests we have not seen in more than two years – Nate, Santos, Wendy and Keith – and exchanged handshakes and hugs. Some told us “we all survived this”.
Working with the Midnight Run organization, we made three stops in New York City where our guests were expecting us. We served hot chicken dinners, bags of sandwiches including water and snacks, homemade brownies, cookies and fruit. Lots of essentials like underwear, socks, shoes, fleece vests, coats, hats and toiletries were distributed to those we found on the sidewalks, under boxes or in tents. We only had two pairs of jeans, one sleeping bag and one blanket – as you can imagine, those were immediately scooped up.
One man asked for an extra coat for his sister. Others asked for one of everything we had as they had nothing. Another guest recognized us as the “Thursday night Greek people” and was happy to enjoy our delicious Manny-made meals. Our food is always appreciated and last night was no different. A guest made it a point to tell us we serve the best food on the street.
As we said goodbye, some told us to “get home safely”, making us think about the irony in their concern for our safety as they would spend another night without shelter. Some traveled to one of our locations from a homeless encampment in lower Manhattan so that they could enjoy a hot meal. During a time when New York City is encouraging individuals who are homeless to go into shelters and remove their encampments, it showed us another side of the story as we heard them say they didn’t want to go into shelters and were not sure where they would go.
The monthly Soup Run is a heartfelt experience for volunteers who want to interact directly with individuals in need. Our guests appreciate us, and we learn from them.
All month long, we gather items and organize for the last Thursday of the month when we serve our guests. It is through the donations of those in the Holy Trinity community and beyond – including supporters and volunteers from across Westchester County, Queens, Long Island, New York City, Connecticut and New Jersey, those of various faiths and friends of friends, who make this important outreach a reality. This month we are grateful to the following supporters:
- Financial Support
- Minos Samoladas
- Irene Drivas
- March Soup Run Sponsor: Kathleen Haverlack-Wasser
- Philoptochos of Holy Trinity New Rochelle, NY
- Meals/Cookies/Sandwiches
- Manny Louros
- Constantine Caviris
- Kathy Papataros
- Kalliope Primis
- St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Wyckoff, NJ
- Clothing
- T-Shirts – Dr. Lisa Coplit
- Maria Tatham – Fleece Vests
- Mary Orfanos – Men’s Underwear
- Michael Zoulis – Shirts
- Holy Trinity Knitting for Charity Group; Suzanne Negrin – Hand Knit/Crocheted Hats and Scarves
- Melina Morris and Bombas (https://bombas.com ) – Socks
- Toiletry Kits/Personal Care Items
- Georgeann Mavrovitis, Loredona Curtis, Alexandra Speres and Maryann Koutsis
- Bags – FreshDirect (freshdirect.com)
With much appreciation, we thank you for your continuing support and participation. Donations of new men’s and women’s underwear, T-shirts (sizes LG and XL) are always needed.
The next Soup Run is scheduled for April 28, 2022. Please join us.