Friends of the Poor Sponsoring Three Thanksgiving Programs

Posted on November 2, 2021 by The Dunmorean

Friends of the Poor is sponsoring 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 light of the current pandemic, each will be carried out in a different style than they have for the past four decades.

The Interfaith Prayer Service, which kicks off holiday programming by celebrating the gratitude, joy, and hope that are a part of every faith tradition, will be held on Friday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m at Temple Hesed. All are welcome to join.

The Thanksgiving Dinner for Adults and Elderly, initiated by the late Sister Adrian Barrett, IHM in 1976 with 24 guests in need of a meal and family to share it with, will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 23. Dinners will once again be packed as take-outs and handed out to those in need outside of the Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N Washington Ave, Scranton, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. in a drive-by event due to the ongoing pandemic.

Volunteers will distribute the meals on the corner of North Washington Avenue and Vine Street. Meals will also be provided to those adults and elderly who were previously transported to the dinner through a partnership with Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging and the Junior League of Scranton.

The Family to Family Thanksgiving Food Basket Program, directed by the Robeson family, will continue in the same manner as the COVID-19 Emergency Food Distributions that have been held since March 18.

On Wednesday, Nov. 24 in the parking lot of the Armed Forces Reserve Center, 3401 Olyphant Ave, Scranton, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., volunteers will place the groceries needed for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in the car trunks for all those who need it.

For the past decade, over 2,500 families have been served from theThanksgiving basket program alone. Due to the pandemic and increased need in our community over the last year and a half, we expect to serve up to 3,500 families at this year’s Thanksgiving distribution.

Friends of the Poor, the Robeson Family, Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging, and Scranton Area Ministerium, are proud that in times of great uncertainty and increased need, our community has come together to find a way to continue our great Thanksgiving traditions.

We humbly ask all people to reach into their hearts and donate whatever they can. The Robeson family has ordered over $150,000 in food items, including 3,500 turkeys and trimmings to make the baskets. A donation of $30 sponsors a family of four. Please send your donation of $30 or whatever you can afford to:

Family to Family Program
PO Box 13, Scranton, PA 18501
friendsofthepoorscranton.com/family-to-family-food-basket-program

**Donations may also be made by texting “thanks” to 570-525-5956**

Friends of the Poor is looking for donors to cover the cost of the 76 30lb turkeys that are ordered, along with other food and takeout items. Call the Friends of the Poor office at 570-340-6086, email friendsofthepoor@fotp-ihm.org, or send donations to:

Friends of the Poor
Thanksgiving Community Dinner
2300 Adams Ave., Scranton PA 18509
friendsofthepoorscranton.com

Friends of the Poor would like to note that 2021 marks 45 years of our community’s commitment to and compassion for our less fortunate neighbors, who would otherwise go without a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The success of these events would not be possible without your support.

Friends of the Poor Fundraiser Surpasses Goal

Posted on May 4, 2021 by The Dunmorean

Meghan Loftus, president and CEO of Friends of the Poor, recently announced that the 35th anniversary Stay at Home Ball fundraiser exceeded its $350,000 goal. The event was created to establish the Sister Ann Walsh, IHM Endowment Fund.

The fund will be used to underwrite the agency’s increased efforts in the fight against poverty, hunger and injustice and to honor the decades long service to the agency by Sister Ann Walsh.

Included within the Stay at Home Ball fundraiser was a raffle for anyone who contributed $100 or more. The grand prize, won by The Giovagnoli Family, is four tickets to an October 2021 Notre Dame Football game in South Bend, Ind., and a two-night stay at a hotel; Albert and Marie Karam took home the second prize of two tickets to a Philadelphia Eagles game, and Darlene and Cataldo Medico won an LG-65” Class UN7000 Series LED 4K UHD Smart webOS TV.

Committee members included Atty. Pat Brier, Phil Condron, Patti Lynett, Maggie Mariotti, Au.D., Sister Liz McGill, IHM, Peter Moylan, Sister Terry O’Rourke, IHM, and Sister Ann Walsh, IHM.”

Condron Media created a video showcasing the impact Sister Ann Walsh has made in the community. The video can be viewed on the Friends of the Poor Facebook.

Founded in 1986 by the late Sister Adrian Barrett, IHM and sponsored by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM), the agency provides emergency relief for over 15,000 unduplicated individuals each year.

Friends of the Poor operates 12 food pantries in Lackawanna County. Clothing, furniture, household items, and financial assistance for water utilities are available through the pantries as well.

The agency also supports a men’s clothing program, after-school programs, summer camps, summer activities, seasonal giveaways (toys, food, clothing), and a transportation program for medical appointments for residents of Carbondale.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Friends of the Poor and its Family to Family program began additional drive-through food distributions weekly, and then biweekly, which have served over 100,000 individuals throughout the 30+ events.

UNICO’s COVID-19 Relief Initiative Helps Friends of the Poor

Posted on March 2, 2021 by The Dunmorean

Dunmore’s Keystone Chapter UNICO National recently presented its fifth Covid-19 Relief Initiative donation this year. In recognition of Friends of the Poor’s continued good works during this pandemic, Keystone UNICO donated $1,000 to assist in their efforts.

Anyone wishing to make a donation can send their tax-free donation payable to “Friends of the Poor” at 2300 Adams Ave., Scranton, PA 18509.

Pictured at the Keystone UNICO check presentation to Friends of the Poor are, from left: Keystone Chapter UNICO Board Members Toni DiVizio and Michele McDade, Board Chairman Frank Coviello, Mark McDade, Chapter President Mary Ann Coviello, Louise Ligi and Friends of the Poor President and CEO Meghan E. Loftus.