Corpus Christi Food Drive

PATERSON  A client walks through the aisles of the Father English Food Pantry here, selecting the food items she needs to feed her family. She places them in shopping bags with the words “thank you” printed on them in bright red lettering. For each and every client, there are endless “thank you” moments with more than 25,000 visits each year by the needy, making the Catholic Charities food pantries some of the busiest in the state.

As the summer approaches, Bishop Serratelli is reaching out to all Catholics in the Diocese to help those in need by donating food to the sixth annual Corpus Christi Food Drive at weekend Masses June 22 and 23. The summer months are a critical time for food donations to pantries because it was a time when the shelves are empty with fewer donations coming in to Catholic Charities, which relies heavily on the generosity of parishes and schools.

“We are getting close to our biggest food drive of the year and we are very excited for this wonderful event since the number of clients we serve continues to grow,” said Carlos Roldan, director of Catholic Charities food pantries. “The faithful across the Diocese help us feed so many in need.”

The Corpus Christi Food Drive was created in 2014 to alleviate the food shortage problem that occurred during the summer. According to Roldan, in addition to fewer food donations coming in during the summer, children, who are off from school for summer vacation, do not have their regular meal at school. For many of the children/families Catholic Charities’ serves, the meal the children would receive at school is the only secure daily meal that they have. Therefore, in summer, poor families’ need for food increases.

With parishioners’ participation through the Corpus Christi Food Drive, the poor are able to get much needed groceries to survive the summer months. In the Diocese, 101 parishes are set to participate in the collection. Unlike other food collections, the Corpus Christi drive asks parishioners and friends to donate one or two specific food and household items. This assures that Catholic Charities has sufficient quantities of each item.

The Father English Food Pantry is a “consumer’s choice pantry” in which, rather than handing clients a bag of food, clients are given a cart and can make their own selections just as they would in a supermarket. According to Roldan, this gives them a sense of ownership, empowerment, respect and dignity in allowing them to choose products that most meet their individual family needs.

In a letter to pastors in the Diocese, the Bishop wrote, “Catholic Charities here in our Diocese and around the United States continues to be ‘the hands of Christ’ in a world in need of greater compassion and service. Last year’s support of the Catholic Charities Annual Corpus Christi Food Drive was a testament to that compassion and desire to serve.”

Each year, the food drive takes place during the Feast of Corpus Christi, which marks the liturgical solemnity celebrating the Body of Christ present in the Eucharist.

Individuals, who are not able to bring donations to their parishes or schools, are asked to make a cash donation to supplement the food drive.

The need for the food drive to continue is essential as an increasing number of people have been reaching out to Catholic Charities for assistance. “Every summer, the demand upon our food pantries has escalated and in recent years, many have a tough time stretching their dollars. Catholic Charities is one of the most important local sources of food for literally thousands of our brothers and sisters in genuine need — particularly children,” the Bishop wrote.

Each county of the Diocese has a food pantry — Father English Food Pantry in Paterson; Hope House in Dover and the Partnership for Social Services in Franklin. Combined, all three of these Catholic Charities sites serve between 100 to 125 clients each day.

Following the food drive, deacons from parishes around the Diocese will help sort the food at the drop off sites to prepare for delivery to the pantries. The drop off sites are: the Father English Center in Paterson; St. Simon the Apostle Church in Green Pond, and the Department for Persons with Disabilities in Oak Ridge, an agency of Catholic Charities.

Chris Brancato, Catholic Charities director of development, said, “We would like to thank all of the parishes, pastors and parishioners who have pledged to participate in our Corpus Christi Food Drive. We would also like to thank all of our food pantry volunteers and employees for their assistance with picking up, sorting and delivering food to those in need. This is truly a Diocesan-wide collaborative effort. We are blessed to be led by Bishop Serratelli and Msgr. James Mahoney, diocesan vicar general, who have always advocated for Catholic Charities.”

Requests for food pantry donations by parish