Thousands of meal deliveries anticipated

A Catholic Charities director helped package the bishop’s dinner on Thanksgiving Day. And she is looking for help on Christmas.
“Thank you to all our volunteers (for helping us) feed the community,” Maydee Morales, director of Emergency Services for Catholic Charities, said to The Catholic Free Press. “We need you to come out again Christmas Day, because we’ve got to do it all again.”
Now Christmas is almost here, and Catholic Charities Worcester County, which coordinates the bishop’s Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, is seeking volunteers to “do it all again.”
As at Thanksgiving, due to COVID-19 restrictions the annual sit-down dinner with the bishop at St. Paul Cathedral is cancelled.
Those who would have attended because they are alone or are seeking a meal, can ask to have the dinner delivered to their homes instead. They should call 508-798-0191 by today, Dec. 18, said Madalyn Sirois, social media and fundraising coordinator for Catholic Charities Worcester County.
She said Catholic Charities also receives names of people needing dinners from local elder service organizations and other agencies.
A breakfast for homeless individuals is planned for 8 a.m. Christmas Day at the St. Francis Xavier Center, 20 Temple Street, Worcester, according to a Catholic Charities press release.
Catholic Charities is asking those who would normally help at the sit-down dinner at the cathedral to sign up to deliver meals this year. They can register for a time slot from 8:30-11:45 a.m. on the Catholic Charities’ website: https://www.ccworc.org/volunteer-registration-bhd/.
For social distancing and safety, volunteers will pick up meals and delivery routes drive-thru style, without exiting their vehicles, at the St. Peter’s Catholic Elementary School gym at 10 Hammond St. Bishop McManus is to bless them there.
On Thanksgiving, volunteers in more than 140 vehicles delivered more than 3,000 meals, and another 200 meals were available at the St. Francis Xavier Center, Catholic Charities reported.
For Christmas, Catholic Charities anticipates needing 250 vehicles of volunteers, Ms. Sirois said. She said on Tuesday that about 100 had scheduled to come.
The Broadway in Worcester is cooking the meals to be delivered, Ms. Sirois said. She said Catholic Charities pays The Broadway for the food, and The Broadway also asks other companies for food donations. Table Talk Pies donates pies directly to Catholic Charities, she said.
Catholic Charities seeks monetary donations to offset costs of the Bishop’s Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners through letters to individuals and agencies it works with, Ms. Sirois said.
She said Catholic Charities may still need donations for Christmas because of an increase in the cost of food. If there is any money left over, it goes into Catholic Charities’ Emergency Stabilization and Homeless Prevention programs, she said.
















The 2020 Bishop’s Holiday Dinners are sponsored by:
Presenting
Bay State Savings Bank, Fallon Health, Jesuits of Holy Cross College, Rockland Trust Charitable Foundation, Saint Francis Community Healthcare, Inc., TD Bank, The Protector Group Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Cornerstone
 J.J. Bafaro, Inc.
Contributing
Camosse Family Foundation,  Dauphinais Concrete, Grantham Group, Grenon Family Foundation, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Quality Contracting
Patron
Cornerstone Bank, Fidelity Bank, Hanover Insurance Group Foundation, Risk Strategies Company, SederLaw, Southbridge Credit Union, UniBank, Worcester State University  
Partner
Anna Maria College Board of Trustees, Assumption University, Atlas Distributing, Berkshire Bank Foundation, DiMeo Schneider & Associates, Machado Consulting, O’Connor, Maloney & Co., PC, Pagano Media, Quinsigamond Community College, Reliant Medical Group, Rollstone Bank & Trust, St. John’s High School, Thomas J. Woods Insurance Agency, Inc.