We served our guests on the street and in the train station during last night’s soup run and they seemed especially thankful that we remembered them two days before Christmas. Meals were given to some who were camped out on the ground, in tents, in cardboard boxes and sleeping bags and wandering through Penn Station. In addition to the pastitsio and moussaka that we served, we provided gift bags filled with hand made hats, scarves, gloves and a holiday card, underwear, socks, blankets and jackets.
We were also happy to be joined by Fr. Nicolas Kazarian (St. Eleftherios, NYC) and Marina (St. Eleftherios Parish Council President). They brought 140 toiletry kits (!) assembled by their parish during a recent Advent Toiletry Drive.
As we served our guests in front of St. Francis, one man reached his hand out from under the box he was lying in just to touch ours and make a connection. Sam, one of our regulars, was overheard saying to the person next to him as he ate his meal, “This is good food”. As we walked through Penn Station, a worker complained to the police that we were giving out food and the response was “They are not doing anything illegal”. So we continued.
Our last stop was to meet John who was getting off from work at 10 p.m. John is temporarily living at a drop-in center while he works 40 hours a week at a grocery store and is saving money to rent a room. He stands all day working the fish counter and returns to the drop-in center where he sleeps on a metal folding chair. He is allowed one bag and he must keep it with him at all times. We were so happy to provide John with a large new backpack filled with clothing, toiletries and shoes. As we gave John a new pair of boots, he was stunned to see them and immediately took off his old shoes, changed into new socks and the boots and threw out his worn out shoes. We gave him a warm new down coat and he immediately put that on over the coat he was wearing. He will be sleeping in the coat too as he is not permitted to have a blanket at the drop-in center.
John repeatedly thanked us for providing him with food and clothing. We said good night to him after spending about a half hour together, helping him take items out of his old backpack and add them to his new one and talking about his plans to save enough money to rent a room in a few weeks. Later in the evening, John sent us this text:
“I’m so grateful for your care package, thanks to everyone who helped. It went fine at the shelter. Snuck in the dinner. Hope you all enjoy the holidays while doing such meaningful work! The pastitsio was perfect. Looking forward to speaking soon!”
The monthly Soup Run is an eye-opening, hands-on, compassionate outreach to directly serve those who are most in need. We are blessed with support and generosity from so many. Throughout the month and all year long, we plan, gather items and organize for the day we have set aside to 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, 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
- December Soup Run Sponsor: AHEPA Chapter #405
- Philoptochos of Holy Trinity New Rochelle, NY
- Meals
- Manny Louros
- Kathy Papataros
- Clothing
- Items for John – Chrisie O’Leary, Susan Eng, Deborah Farone, Maria Diekos
- Hand Knit/Crocheted Hats and Scarves – Holy Trinity Knitting for Charity Group, Suzanne Negrin, Mary Demas (Kimisis Tis Theotokou/Panaghia, Island Park, NY)
- Men’s Underwear – Mary Orfanos
- Shoes/Sneakers – Maria Skiadas (Holy Cross, Whitestone, NY)
- Toe Warmers – Kathleen Haverlack Wasser
- Socks – Alexandra Speres
- Melina Morris and Bombas (https://bombas.com ) – Socks
- Toiletry Kits/Personal Care Items
- Holy Trinity Scouts
- Fr. Nicolas Kazarian (St. Eleftherios Church NY, NY)
- 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), new sneakers (size 12) and new blankets (e.g., small fleece blankets) are the only items we are currently accepting.
Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas and Happy New Yew.
The next Soup Run is scheduled for January 27, 2022. Please join us.