Friends of the Poor | The Dunmorean

Friends of the Poor announces three community-based programs to help those in need this Thanksgiving: The Thanksgiving Dinner for Adults and Elderly, the Family-to-Family Thanksgiving Food Basket Program, and the Interfaith Prayer Service. In addition, this year’s program incorporates several new collaborative partners.

From its humble beginnings feeding a few dozen community members, the Thanksgiving Community Program has relied on the generosity of area businesses, families, and other institutions to make the holiday special for those who often go without.

The same is true today, 47 years later, as we prepare to again serve 3,500 cooked meals and provide 3,500 families with Thanksgiving groceries. This sponsored work of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM), is sustained day in and out by the most giving community institutions such as Scranton Cultural Center, Scranton Area Multifaith Ministerium, Gentex, Stirna’s, Junior League of Scranton, Marywood University, University of Scranton, Lackawanna College, Chartwells, Hilton Scranton, Schiff’s Food Service, Schiff’s Marketplace, Scranton Housing Authority, City of Scranton, Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging, Waste Management, and dozens more.

This year, the Catherine McAuley Center and Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank have joined as official partners. The Catherine McAuley Center will offer the support of its staff to each event to help accommodate the projected increase in need. The Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank has also stepped in to provide the turkeys for the Thanksgiving meal.

The celebrations kick off on Friday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. with the Interfaith Prayer Service at Temple Hesed, 1 Knox Road, Scranton, at 7 p.m. All are invited and welcome to attend.

Sunday, November 19 gives University of Scranton students a peek into the inner workings of our Family to Family program as we join the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice to provide Thanksgiving groceries to 200 families in the Hilltop and Valley View Housing Developments within the Scranton Housing Authority.

Thanksgiving Dinner for Adults and Elderly will be distributed for the fourth year in a row take-out style. On Tuesday, Nov. 21 in front of the Scranton Cultural Center, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., anyone in need of a cooked Thanksgiving meal can drive-through or walk-up for a meal. No pre-registration or proof of income is required.

Note that the 400 & 500 blocks of N. Washington Avenue and Vine Street will be closed for traffic control. We ask that no one begin lining up earlier than 2 p.m., as we will be delivering approximately 1,500 meals to pre-registered, low-income seniors with the continued help of our dedicated volunteer drivers from the Junior League of Scranton.

The Family-to-Family Thanksgiving Food Basket Program, directed by the Robeson family, will pick up where the dinner leaves off the very next morning on Nov. 22. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until supplies run out, we will provide all grocery items needed to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving meal to families in need in front of the Scranton Cultural Center. This event will also be a drive-through, but we will have a dedicated tent with supplies and volunteers for those that need to walk up. No pre-registration or proof of income is required. Understanding that transportation is a barrier, we ask that those with access to their own vehicles serve as proxies for those who cannot get to the event.

A $60 donation sponsors the cost for the average size family we serve. We are prepared to serve 3,500 families, and we must raise at least $250,000 to cover Thanksgiving alone, including food and other supplies. Donations of any amount help us towards our goal, and can be mailed to Family to Family, PO Box 13, Scranton, PA 18503 or given online at friendsofthepoorscranton.com.

Additionally, if any additional businesses or community groups would like to participate in the cooked Thanksgiving dinner portion of our programming, we are in desperate need of supplies, including microwavable, sealable takeout containers, individually wrapped disposable utensils, plastic grocery bags, and more. Please contact via email (friendsofthepoor@fotp-ihm.org) or phone (570-340-6086) if you can support the event in any way.

Four local nonprofits are joining forces to provide gifts this holiday season. The Catherine McAuley Center, Catholic Social Services, Friends of the Poor and the Salvation Army are connecting community donors with families living at or below the poverty line to bring a little bit of joy under the tree this Christmas.

This collaborative effort expects to serve an estimated 1,500 families.

The first 25% of families to register will be paired with donors in the community to receive gifts. The remaining families will register to “shop” (at no cost) for donated toys for their children at a giveaway hosted at the University of Scranton in late December.
To register to receive gifts, visit the Facebook pages of any of these non-profits for the online link to register. Registration will be first come, first serve.