From pasta buffet to pasta pickup

BY BILL DOYLE | CFP CORRESPONDENT 

For nearly a decade, the Knights of Columbus prepared and served pasta buffets monthly at St. Theresa, the Little Flower Church, in Harvard after the Saturday night Mass to raise money for charity. 

Usually, 35 to 50 people dined. 

Then the pandemic hit, but the Knights didn’t quit. The pasta buffet turned into a pasta pickup and the curbside dinners gained momentum like a meatball rolling downhill. 

For the most recent pasta pickup on Feb. 12, nearly 300 meals were served for a profit of $1,800, all of which will be donated to local charities. That night easily surpassed the previous high of serving nearly 200 meals. 

“I am in shock,” said Mark Morin, who suggested offering curbside pickup and who does much of the cooking. “I think it’s fantastic that we have such support throughout the town. Now I have parishioners who can’t wait until the next meal and they’re asking me, ‘What are you serving next month?’ And we’ve got rave reviews. It really helps support the Knights of Columbus and what we’re trying to do to help support the charities in our communities.” 

The Knights support several organizations, including food pantries, veterans and homeless shelters, the Coats for Kids program and the First Concern Pregnancy Resource Center. They also award $750 scholarships to parishioners attending Catholic colleges. 

The Knights have held cornfests, pancake breakfasts and other fundraisers, but the pasta pickups have generated the most money, by far. 

“It makes the Knights happy,” Grand Knight Rick Collier said. “They’re proud of their work and happy to do it. Everybody who I ask contributes. It’s a lot of work, but it’s rewarding because ultimately we see where the money is going.” 

Mr. Collier is a parishioner at St. Francis Xavier Church in Bolton, the twin of St. Theresa. The two churches comprise Holy Trinity Parish. Father Terence T. Kilcoyne is the pastor. 

The parish requests an $8 donation for each meal, but many people give more, some much more. Some people who have paid ahead of time hand over another check when they pick up their meals. Mr. Collier said one family donated $250 for four meals. 

For the most recent pasta pickup, the meal consisted of a choice of beef pot pie, meatballs with pasta, or sausage, onions and peppers on pasta or rice. There were also homemade rolls, salad and blondies. 

Carol Le Tonge bakes the desserts and often serves as the greeter at Saturday night Mass at St. Theresa. 

While the cooking is going on, “Father would always be on the altar,” Ms. Tonge recalled, “joking, ‘This is pure torture. I don’t know how I can stay up here ... any longer. It smells way too good.’” 

Mr. Morin does much of the shopping as well as the cooking. He starts looking for the best food and container prices weeks ahead of each meal. Two weeks before each meal, he begins making the tomato sauce and freezing it. Then he and Bruce Everett make and freeze the meatballs.  

On the day of the pasta pickup, Mr. Morin starts working at 6 a.m. to begin baking the rolls. Mr. Everett arrives a couple of hours later and they’re busy until around 7 p.m. 

Pick up times are spread out between 5:10 and 7:20 p.m, but it was so busy on Feb. 12, at one time 14 cars were waiting for orders. More than 50 meals were handed out to parishioners coming from Mass. 

Mr. Morin’s wife, Mary Anne, helps cook and wash dishes. 

Other Knights and their families, along with confirmation students from Bromfield School, help assemble and package the meals and deliver them to the cars. On Feb. 12, about 15 people lent a hand. 

Mr. Collier oversees the curbside pickup in the parking lot. Last month, he wore a K of C vest and cap while he distributed meals. Mr. Collier said not all of the customers are Catholic. Some told him they had never been to St. Theresa Church or even Harvard. They had driven from as far away as Boxborough, Clinton and Fitchburg. 

So he made sure to briefly explain what the Knights were about and why they were doing this. 

“It’s such a community thing,” Ms. Tonge said. “It’s beautiful to watch.” 

To offset rising costs, the requested donation will increase to $10 for the meal on March 19. As it comes just two days after St. Patrick’s Day, corned beef and cabbage will be added to the menu. Last March, the Knights cooked about 85 pounds of corned beef. This March, they plan to cook at least 100 pounds. 

Mr. Collier said the kitchen can be hectic on the day of the curbside pickup. 

“Cooking two pot pies is one thing,” Mr. Collier said, “but cooking 150 is another thing.” 

Somehow, the Knights manage to get it done and the community has eaten it up. 

“First of all,” Mr. Collier said, “during the pandemic people haven’t been going to restaurants, so we’ve taken advantage of that. And, secondly, they like the food, and, to tell you the truth, between Bolton and Harvard there aren’t a lot of places to go pick up food. And I think they appreciate the money ... that goes to charity.” 

The meals became so popular that the parish installed a new stove and dishwasher, and is looking to add a larger sink. 

The dates of the meals are announced during Masses, in the church bulletin, on the parish website, htpboltonharvard.org and on nextdoor.com. 

Orders must be booked in person or online by the Monday before the meal. 

Mr. Morin used to be a general manager at various Papa Gino’s restaurants and he and his brother Carl once owned hot dog stands in Framingham and a diner, “Pastrami on Main,” in Hudson. Now he repairs restaurant equipment so he’s still familiar with the food industry. He saw that some restaurants were offering curbside pickup so he suggested that the K of C try it. He researched the costs and devised a plan to make it work. He admitted he would have been pleased to attract 50 customers, but the first curbside meal in the spring of 2020 attracted 135. Now they’re feeding nearly 300. 

“It’s exhausting,” Mr. Morin said, “but it is rewarding. I enjoy cooking. I enjoy creativity. For years, I wanted to get back into restaurants, but I think this might be the closest that I get.” 

He believes this community effort says a lot about the Catholic spirit. 

“I think it’s still alive in today’s crazy, strange world,” Mr. Morin said. “We have a lot of devoted people. They still come to Mass every week. We’re very lucky. We have a strong parish. We have a strong community.”