Parishes and organizations in the Diocese of Trenton are hosting events throughout the month of November to praise God for all their blessings and benefit those less fortunate during the season of Thanksgiving. A partial listing is below; see TrentonMonitor.com for additional events and updates.
St. Mark Parish, Sea Girt, Social Concerns Committee, is collecting frozen, boxed and canned foods to benefit Mercy Center, Asbury Park. Frozen items, such as turkeys or pies, must be placed in the large freezer in the church basement kitchen; non-perishable items should be placed in the bins at the entrances of the church. For details, call Linda Zoufaly at 732-974-8879 or Pat Cademartori at 732-449-4043.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish, Avon-by-the-Sea, is collecting foods for distribution to the poor by Asbury Park’s Mercy Center. All items should be placed in the labelled boxes at the entrances of the church.
St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square, Knights of Columbus, is collecting food for their Thanksgiving Food Drive. Please drop off non-perishable, non-breakable food donations in the Donation Box in the gathering space of the church. Turkey and ham donations are accepted any time during the day at the rectory or in front of the church between 7 and 8 a.m. Nov. 18. Call Mike Frank at 917-741-4258 for details.
St. David the King Parish, Princeton Junction, Social Concerns Committee, is sponsoring the annual Thanksgiving Food Basket Drive. Sign up is during the Nov. 4-5 weekend Masses, and volunteers can choose to provide food items for a small or large family. Once you sign up, you will be provided with a complete listing of food items to purchase, as well as specific drop-off instructions for the basket. For further information, contact MaryAnn Heenehan at heenehacnj@gmail.com or Maureen Tuohy at jmtuohy16@gmail.com.
St. Mary Parish, Colts Neck, is collecting foods to fill Thanksgiving baskets from Nov. 4-17. Please purchase enough non-perishable items to feed a family of four and bring them to the parish hall. In lieu of frozen items, please make a check payable to “The Parish of St. Mary” and put “Thanksgiving Food Drive” in the memo section. To volunteer with shopping, sorting, packing or loading, or for any questions, contact Rose Farrow at rmcfarrow@hotmail.com.
St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville, is hosting two parish-wide Thanksgiving events to benefit Meals on Wheels of Mercer County and the Pennington nonprofit Hope Loves Company, which is dedicated to the children of ALS patients. On Nov. 11, help donate food, serve or attend a Thanksgiving dinner in the St. Ann School cafeteria from 6 – 7:30 p.m. On Nov. 23, help deliver Thanksgiving dinners to the homebound recipients of Meals on Wheels following the 9 a.m. Mass. For further information on either event, contact Mike McCormick at dwinknj@aol.com or 609-208-9991, or MaryAnn Raccosta at maryannraccosta@hotmail.com or 609-538-8756.
Holy Cross Parish, Rumson, Social Concerns/Justice Committee, will hold a Thanksgiving Food Drive 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 11 to 19. Items should be brought to the kitchen in the St. Joseph Room, using the outside lower level stairwell. Monetary donations for the purchase of turkeys and hams may be brought to the parish office.
Knights of Columbus, St. Ann Council, Lawrenceville, is sponsoring a Thanksgiving Food Drive to benefit Mercer High School. Please drop off all non-perishable food donations on the shelves in the church foyer, marking them “Mercer High School,” by Nov. 15. Contact John Sikorski at jwsikorski@yahoo.com, or call 609-883-2509 with questions. Donations by check made payable to the Knights of Columbus Council 7000 and with “Mercer High School” on the memo line are also accepted. Mail checks to John Sikorski, 40 Lawrence Ave., Lawrenceville, N.J. 08648.
Sacred Heart Parish, Mount Holly, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, is asking for donations of food or money by mid-November in order that they may prepare the nearly 200 baskets slated for delivery to the needy on Nov. 19. Teenage and adult volunteers are needed to prepare and pack the baskets beginning Nov. 16. To learn the schedule of tasks and volunteer for a slot, contact Pat Budd at patbudd@verizon.net or 609-610-5486.
St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Cinnaminson, Bread of Life Food Pantry, is accepting food or gift card donations for Thanksgiving dinners until Nov. 18. Please deposit food in the blue bin in the usher’s closet in the church gathering space. For further information, contact Joe Folz at jfolz@comcast.net or 856-461-5987.
Holy Eucharist Parish, Tabernacle, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, will accept donations of turkeys and food items at the food pantry every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon, and at weekend Masses Nov. 18-19. Donations for the “Pennies for Pies” collection, which are used by the needy to purchase pies for their Thanksgiving dinners, can be placed in poor boxes throughout the church or in the jar on the display table in the café.
St. Leo the Great Parish, Lincroft, Social Concerns Ministry, will be collecting frozen turkeys to complete Thanksgiving baskets from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 19. Bring the turkeys to the porch of the school.