Bringing Thanksgiving Blessings to Families and Parishes

At Thanksgiving, we traditionally gather around the family table and give thanks to the Lord for all our blessings. This month, Catholic Charities of Long Island mails a fund-raising appeal to supporters benefiting our Meals on Wheels ministry. This year’s focus is on Barbara, an 85-year-old senior whose shoulder problems make lifting heavy pots for cooking a painful experience.

The meals she receives from her driver, Jay Dakis, are both delicious and nutritious. Jay also delivers good cheer during his weekly visits and says he’s never met anyone quite like Barbara. Besides bringing tasty meals, our Meals on Wheels drivers lift the spirits of seniors who often live alone and don’t have many visitors.

Parish Social Ministry programs in more than 100 parishes across Long Island are also very busy leading up to Thanksgiving. CCLI staff members provide training and resources to support these ministries, like the one at St. Bernard’s Parish in Levittown, where Sister Christine Sammons, O.P., is the longtime PSM coordinator. You may remember that Sister Christine was honored with our 2025 Caritas Award in May.

Sister Christine says there’s recently been a 25 percent increase in those seeking help at St. Bernard’s, including many new Spanish-speaking clients capably served in their native tongue by her assistant, Carmen Torres. The uncertainty of SNAP funding due to the government shutdown adds another layer to the situation.

St. Bernard’s, where Father John McCarthy is now pastor, responds by coming together to help. The Parish Social Ministry team works alongside the volunteers of the parish’s St. Vincent de Paul Conference

to meet the needs of those seeking help. Their office is open to the public six days a week, including from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays.

Even with increased demand, order is maintained. “We ask people if they can come on the same day each week, so the volunteers can get to know them,” Sister Christine says.

She’s good at “connecting dots,” so that those seeking assistance are served well. Last week, two offers of assistance, both for November 1, made Sister Christine ask for help. The first offer came from the Levittown Kiwanis, which was running a food drive. Then Island Harvest offered to bring food collected at Stop n’ Shop on the same day.

At their weekly meeting, Sister Christine told the Vincentians she needed extra help. The Charitable Kidz, a youth group affiliated with St. Vincent de Paul, assisted at the supermarket drive. Carmen came in to lend a hand. Pretty soon, the parish pantry was stocked in perfect order. “I could never do this by myself,” says Sister Christine, who also cited the unfailing generosity of parishioners.

On Thursday, November 6, Ele Ruth Melendez, the Parish Social Ministry director at St. Frances de Chantal Parish in Wantagh, will speak to Jackie Lucas of Catholic Faith Network during a live interview at the parish. Among other topics, Ele will comment on the annual Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings that she hosts for her outreach clients. The segment will also feature Gena McSorley, CCLI’s new Parish Social Ministry director, and Danielle Campbell, CCLI’s Communications and Development director.