Multiple parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville have gathered food for those in need ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
On the morning of Nov. 23, more than 25 parishioners of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 1545 Louis Coleman Jr. Drive, continued their 25-plus year tradition of preparing and delivering Thanksgiving food boxes.
More than 60 boxes — sponsored by parish families — were delivered to nearby group homes, schools and parishioners identified by the Social Concerns Committee, said Ashia Powell, Immaculate Heart of Mary’s social concerns committee chair.
They contained non-perishable Thanksgiving items, such as stuffing mix, boxes of mac and cheese, mashed potatoes mix and cranberry sauce, as well as a gift card to purchase meat, said Powell.
Teens and young adults were among the parishioners gathered for the distribution.
Destiny Morris, a parishioner and student at the University of Louisville, has attended the morning of service for years.
“I’ve always enjoyed it since I was a little girl,” she said. “It’s important, especially for us — being a church in the West End, which is a food desert,” she said.
For Zacaylah Smith, a parishioner and eighth-grader at J. Graham Brown School, volunteering each year is a way to give back to her parish, which helped her family in a time of need.
“Holy Trinity is in the far east, and we are downtown, but we have a fellowship. It takes all of us to do the work of God.”
— Emily Mosby, parishioner at St. Augustine Church.
“My mom is a breast cancer survivor. The church did a lot for her,” she said. The parish brought her family food during that season, she said. “They helped my mom, so I want to help them.”
The parish youth said they enjoy seeing the recipients’ reactions to the food boxes.
“I like doing stuff for people to make them feel happy,” said Kingston Robinson, a parishioner and 10th grader at Atherton High School. The ministry is important for those who can’t afford a typical Thanksgiving, he added.
Just a few days earlier, on Nov. 19, members of St. Augustine and Holy Trinity churches gathered to pack Thanksgiving food bags for 150 low-income families in Louisville. The bags were distributed at St. Augustine, 1310 W. Broadway, on Nov. 25.
The 20 volunteers packed bags containing “everything the average family would have on a typical Thanksgiving, … from the turkey to the macaroni and cheese” said Emily Mosby, a parishioner of St. Augustine Church’s Social Concerns Ministry.
St. Augustine takes need-based applications from families in the community for six weeks, starting in October, while both parishes collect food items donated by parishioners.
“People are very generous,” said Kate Biagi-Rickert, a parishioner of Holy Trinity Church’s St. Vincent de Paul Council.
“Our group loves to be involved and we know that we are making a direct impact by making sure they have what they need to gather with their family members to enjoy the holidays,” she said.
Mosby said she continues to participate in this collaborative effort year after year because she was taught to treat people with dignity in Catholic grade school.
“The dignity of people should be from birth to the grave,” she said. “The need is great out there. You might be in better financial shape than the next person.”
People show compassion to one another when they look for “what we can do to help each other,” she said.
The 15-plus year partnership between the two parishes is a testament to the good happening in the community, Mosby said.
“We, as a people, have more in common than we think,” she said. “Holy Trinity is in the far east, and we are downtown, but we have a fellowship. It takes all of us to do the work of God.
“Together we stand, divided we fall,” she added.
The volunteers also included a notecard in the bags listing the Mass times at Holy Trinity and St. Augustine.
As the churches provide for the physical needs of those in need, they want to show that they are there to aid spiritual needs, as well, said Mosby.
The card lets them know, “If you’re ever in need, we’re here,” she said.
