Generosity abounds at St. Cecilia’s food drive

BY BILL DOYLE | CFP CORRESPONDENT 

For many years, members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference at St. Cecilia Parish in Leominster have conducted a Lenten food drive for the North County office of Catholic Charities food pantry. 

They’re more than happy to do it, according to one of the food drive volunteers. 

“You can’t put it into words,” longtime St. Cecilia parishioner Elaine Murphy said. “It’s what we’re here for. We’re here to help people. There are so many people out there who need help. What we regret is sometimes the people who need help, they weren’t brought up to ask for help. That’s what kills us. We just want to reach everyone who needs help.” 

Deanne Bellefeuille-Besnia and her husband, David Besnia, started the Lenten food drive with a small group of St. Cecilia parishioners in the 1990s. The couple delivered the food to the First Baptist and Methodist churches and Ginny’s Thrift Shop. After a few years, everything went to the thrift shop. Then owner Ginny White retired about the time that Ms. Bellefeuille-Besnia joined the new St. Vincent de Paul conference at St. Cecilia. So the food drive began benefitting Catholic Charities in 2014. 

“Being the conduit between the generosity of the parishioners of St. C’s and the need of the food pantries has always brought us much satisfaction,” Ms. Bellefeuille-Besnia said. “We were both raised in homes where food insecurity was never an issue and, in part, that has always been the motivation for our continued effort.” 

The food drive was canceled two years ago when churches were closed to the public during Lent at the start of the pandemic, but it resumed last year.  

Ms. Bellefeuille-Besnia said she’s been thrilled by the number of donations each year. 

“A lot of the original donors have passed away,” she said, “but each week during Lent when we finish collecting and sorting the donations we are blown away by the generosity of the parishioners.” 

Maritza Cedeno is the area administrator in the North County office of Catholic Charities, whose food pantry feeds 650-900 people per month at no cost to them. 

Catholic Charities receives about half of its food from the Worcester County Food Bank, according to Ms. Cedeno, but she said various other organizations, including parishes, also donate food throughout the year. St. Cecilia is the only parish that donates during Lent, however. With the hike in the cost of food and gas, Ms. Cedeno is pleased that St. Cecilia has increased its donations this year. 

“It’s amazing,” Ms. Cedeno said. “Every year I’m more amazed how it’s grown. It’s a great example during the Lent season of how to be involved within the Church.” 

Putting food on the table is second nature for many, but unfortunately not for all. 

“The few interactions I’ve had with families in need have cemented me to this cause,” Ms. Bellefeuille-Besnia said. 

Ms. Murphy said a list of needed items provided by Catholic Charities was posted at the entrances of the church each of the first five weekends during Lent. 

“I’ve been doing this for awhile,” Ms. Murphy said, “and these people are the most generous people I’ve ever met in my life.” 

One week, there were requests for canned soup, peanut butter, marshmallow and crackers. Another week, the list included tuna, mayonnaise, potatoes, baked beans and canned vegetables. A third week, sugar, boxed milk, cocoa mix, toilet paper and toothbrushes were listed. 

Each week, parishioners filled all six barrels at the doors with 80 or 90 grocery bags of food and supplies worth about $1,000, Ms. Murphy estimated. 

“Some of them let their children put the plastic bags in the bucket,” Ms. Murphy said. “It’s a sharing thing that they do and I think it makes the kids feel good.” 

Catholic Charities picked up the items each Monday. 

Ms. Murphy said St. Cecilia also provides a few parishioners in need directly with food and supplies. 

Msgr. James P. Moroney, pastor at St. Cecilia’s, said so much food was donated one weekend, Catholic Charities needed two SUVs to load everything. 

“This is one of the finest run and most actively supported food drives I’ve ever witnessed in 41 years as a priest,” he said. 

“From what I understand from the folks at Catholic Charities, the need has never been so great,” Msgr. Moroney said, “and it’s just a wonderful example of charity at work during the season of Lent.” 

Msgr. Moroney said St. Cecilia reaches out to the underprivileged in other ways as well. For instance, on Thursdays during Lent women of the parish prepared suppers of soups and breads for anyone who wished to come. The suppers were offered free of charge, but donations were accepted to benefit the parish’s St. Vincent de Paul Society. 

“We have one of the most active St. Vincent de Paul chapters in the entire diocese,” Msgr. Moroney said, “and they are constantly taking care of those people who find themselves temporarily in need.” 

During Lent, giving means even more. 

“I think there is a great appreciation of the opportunity,” Msgr. Moroney said, “which Lent affords for penance and prayer and charity, and in some respects those three things, penance and prayer and almsgiving or charity are the three legs upon which the stool is formed, which is Lent.”