Thanksgiving Dinner to be different

By Tanya Connor 

The Catholic Free Press 

People can still partake of the Bishop’s Thanksgiving Dinner coordinated by Catholic Charities next Thursday. But it will be different this year because of COVID-19 restrictions. 

The annual sit-down dinner, traditionally held at St. Paul Cathedral for anyone alone for the holiday or seeking a meal and fellowship, is cancelled. People can ask to have the meal delivered to their homes instead. They should request meals by calling 508-798-0191 by Monday, Nov. 23, said Madalyn Sirois, social media and fundraising coordinator for Catholic Charities Worcester County.  

People who cannot receive a home-delivery because they are homeless may get a dinner, provided through Catholic Charities, at St. John Parish’s St. Francis Xavier Center. That dinner is being served from noon to 2 p.m. Nov. 26 at 20 Temple St. in Worcester with limited seating, and to-go meals. 

Billy Riley, manager of St. John’s Food for the Poor Program, which operates a soup kitchen and food pantry at the center, said Catholic Charities staff met with him about holding a Thanksgiving Dinner there. 

This Thanksgiving the regular soup kitchen meal, offered from 7 a.m.-10 a.m. Monday-Friday, will be replaced by Catholic Charities’ meal, he said. (He used to offer breakfast even on Thanksgiving, then people would go to the bishop’s dinner at St. Paul’s if they were still hungry, he said.)  

This year his volunteers can have the holiday off, but he plans to be there working with Catholic Charities’ volunteers, making sure protocols are followed. 

“Sanitize, mask and social distance – those are my three protocols that have to be followed 100 percent,” Mr. Riley said. Limits include no more than seven volunteers and 20 diners inside at any one time. 

He said he doesn’t know how many people will come. At the soup kitchen usually about 200 people a day get a meal, which they take with them, eat inside, or eat outside under a tent. 

The Broadway in Worcester is doing all the cooking, 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.  

“We are still looking for monetary donations,” she said Wednesday. If there is any money left over, it goes into Catholic Charities’ Emergency Stabilization and Homeless Prevention programs. 

The Bishop’s Thanksgiving Dinner is traditionally delivered to homes of people who cannot go to the sit-down dinner at the cathedral, and that is continuing this year.  

“Right now we have nearly 200 groups of volunteers (about 500 individuals),” to deliver meals, Ms. Sirois told The Catholic Free Press Tuesday afternoon. “This is a little below the 640 volunteers we had last year, but in the past many people have shown up to volunteer without registering, which we expect to happen again this year.” 

However, volunteers are asked to sign up on Catholic Charities’ website https://www.ccworc.org/volunteer-registration-bhd/ where they can choose a time slot.  

Catholic Charities can use more volunteers than in the past, since “agencies that request meals from us have told us to expect an increase,” and since more home-delivery requests are expected because of the cancellation of the dinner at St. Paul’s, Ms. Sirois said. 

 All COVID-19 safety guidelines will be followed, the website says.  

Volunteers will pick up their delivery route and packaged meals drive-through style, Catholic Charities has said. Volunteers are to line up in their cars near the gym of St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary School, 10 Hammond St., Worcester, and will be directed where to go. 

Bishop McManus is to visit with volunteers there. Traditionally he meets with guests at the sit-down dinners at the cathedral on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year more than 4,200 dinners were provided, according to Catholic Charities.  

Dinner sponsors are as follows:  

PRESENTING: Bay State Savings Bank, Fallon Health, Grenon Family Foundation, Saint Francis Community Healthcare Inc.; TD Bank, The Protector Group Charitable Foundation Inc.   

CONTRIBUTING: Camosse Family Foundation, Dauphinais Concrete, Grantham Group, Quality Contracting   

PATRON: Cornerstone Bank, Fidelity Bank, Hanover Insurance Group Foundation, Risk Strategies Company, Seder Law, 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.   

 FRIEND: Lamoureux Ford, Friends of the Millbury Seniors Inc.    

– Those needing more information about volunteering or donating may contact Catholic Charities at 508-798-0191.