By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor

When it comes to the Mount Carmel Guild’s annual Thanksgiving food drive, Marie Gladney is quick to sing the praises of her staff and scores of volunteers who spend days collecting, sorting and compiling grocery bags filled with foods that families in need could use to prepare a beautiful holiday meal.

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“They are dedicated,” said Gladney, who serves as executive director of the inner-city diocesan agency that provides year-round outreach to the poor of the City of Trenton and the surrounding Mercer County area through its Emergency Assistance and Home Health Nursing Programs.

And the gratitude she extends to all who contribute bountiful amounts of turkeys, fresh vegetables, canned goods and non-perishables, as well as monetary donations, is truly heartfelt.  There are parishes, youth groups, churches of other denominations, grocery stores, corporations, businesses and private donations, she said.

But the one unfortunate downside of the 2014 Thanksgiving food distribution that Gladney cited is the number of families who the Guild had to serve. She estimated that some 1,000 families received Thanksgiving meals this year; in 2011 the number was 900, 850 families were served in 2012 and 754 in 2013.

“The need is great,” Gladney said, “and it’s increasing. I don’t see us going out of business anytime soon.”

The volunteers, who generously give of their time to assist with the massive Thanksgiving undertaking, make a commitment each year, something for which Gladney is truly grateful.

“My two children know that the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we are coming here to help as a family,” said Judy Duff, who was with her son, Nate, daughter, Abby, and husband, Brian, who serves on the guild’s executive board.

“Abby and Nate see the one bag of food that a family receives for Thanksgiving,” said Duff, a member of St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville.

Abby Duff said she is happy that she has a chance to “help people who are less fortunate to have a nice Thanksgiving. I’m glad that they can have a special day like I will.”

Joan Mills hopes to instill a willingness to serve in the students she had accompanied from the religious education program in St. Hedwig Parish, Trenton, as well as in her niece and goddaughter, Corrine Mills, an eighth grade Confirmation candidate in St. Alphonsus Parish, Hopewell.

“We’ve been coming here for about two years and the kids enjoy helping with all that needs to be done, whether it’s filling bags or stocking shelves,” Mills said. “I hope this is something they can continue after they are confirmed.”

The true sense of outreach and Thanksgiving spirit that the Mount Carmel Guild community conveyed was not lost on the clients who came to the guild in need of a Thanksgiving dinner.

Amina Daher was among the many who, on a cold, blustery Nov. 21, patiently waited in the long line that wrapped around the Guild’s parking lot. Holding the hand of her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Sarah, she reflected on how the Guild has come to her family’s assistance, not just at Thanksgiving, but throughout the year.

“They have been so good to us,” Daher said. “They have helped me and my family and I thank God for that.”

“Without this food, I wouldn’t be able to have a Thanksgiving,” said Debra Sherman.

Noting that she arrived at the guild in need of assistance a couple of years ago after her family experienced a job loss. The resident of Hamilton Township and member of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton, expressed how meaningful it is to receive assistance from an organization that’s rooted in Catholic tradition. “It’s a place,” said Sherman, “where you find comfort, have compassionate people to talk to and are treated with respect.”