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Celebrating the birth of Jesus and the joy of giving
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December 19, 2023At 8:30 am, cars lined up all around the block and beyond. It was the first day of distributing the food baskets and providing Christmas meals for needy families.
Bishop Michael Mulvey reminded everyone of the reason for Christmas – to celebrate Jesus’ birth. He blessed the food baskets and the volunteers: “May all of us follow the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ, and may we grow in our maturity and understanding of the love of God.”
Director Michele Johnson thanked the John G. & Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation for their 57 years of support, the Moody High School Baseball Team for 46 years of help (“there are already many generations who continue this tradition”), H-E-B Grocery for 45 years of support; U.S. Marines Toys for Tots for 42 years of support, United Way of the Coastal Bend for their 38 years of support; Corpus Christi CPA Chapter Counting on Santa for their 13 years of support, as well as their wonderful staff and around 200 volunteers. “Without their help, it would not be possible to feed so many households.”
Since there’s a continuous high demand at the food pantry, Catholic Charities decided to increase the number of Christmas meal boxes. This year, 2,500 food baskets were given out; almost 1,400 of them in rural areas of the diocese. “We already delivered the boxes to the parishes who will distribute them these days,” said Shannette Hoelscher from Catholic Charities. 1,241 children from age 0–17 will receive gits – “always a bigger and one smaller toy.”
The distribution of the food baskets and toys will continue on Wednesday from 9 am to 5 pm and on Thursday from 9 am to 11 am.
