Photos: https://www.facebook.com/PhiloNewRo/
Our monthly mission to serve the street homeless and the Ecuadorian and Venezuelan migrants continued during last night’s Soup Run and it was a beautiful evening for all. The increasingly poor air quality due to the Canadian wildfires didn’t stop our volunteers or those in need from meeting up on 31st Street in Manhattan where we served 150 meals, 100 sandwiches, snacks, treats and water.
We were happy to talk with some of our regular guests – Santos, Wendy, Chris, Lorenzo, Ali – and many others. They were so appreciative of our food and the clothing, toiletries, shoes and stuffed animals. In addition to serving the street homeless and making sure that they had enough food and water, we also gave toys and stuffed animals to the children of asylum-seeking families. How sweet it was to see them playing with small cars and other toys on the sidewalk in front of St. Francis.
Last month, one of our guests asked us for a watch. She said she has never had a watch and she doesn’t have a phone, so she never knows what time it is. We told her we’d bring a watch this month – and we did. It was the end of the evening; we had packed up our tables and empty bins and the first car of volunteers was about to drive away when our guest showed up. She asked if we remembered her and what she had requested. We greeted her by name and said we had her watch – which was in the car that was about to leave. We ran down the street, flagged down the car and our volunteer happily got out of the car and gave her the watch. Our guest was ecstatic, thanked us and said she would wear the watch on a chain around her neck, under her clothes so that it would not get stolen. What a beautiful way to end a truly wonderful evening.
It takes a village to do the Soup Run every month! Throughout the month we plan, gather and organize for this very special last Thursday of the month when we serve our guests – as we have done for 16 years. We count on the compassion and generosity of our village – those in the Holy Trinity community, supporters and volunteers from Westchester County, Queens, Long Island, New York City, Connecticut and New Jersey, those of various faiths and friends of friends, who make this important outreach a reality. This month we are grateful for the following supporters:
- Financial Support
o June Soup Run Sponsor: The Dimas Family
o The Baudouin Family
o Emanuel Monogenis
o Irene Drivas
o Philoptochos of Holy Trinity New Rochelle, NY
- Meals/Sandwiches/Treats
o Manny Louros – Meals
o St. Nicholas (Wyckoff, NJ) – Sandwiches, Snacks, Juice
o Kathy Papataros – Cookies
o Kalliope Primis – Brownies
- Clothing/Socks
o Agathy Gerkis – Stuffed Animals
o Kaliope Kostas – Sneakers, Clothing, Toys
o Vicki Kyriakos – Sneakers, Clothing
o Angie Lambros – Baseball Caps
o Suzanne Negrin – Sneakers, T-Shirts
o Sue Russon – T-Shirts, Baseball Caps
o Constantine and Ana Dimas – Sneakers
o Carolyn Sandano – Women’s Clothing
o Peggy Goulet and St. Nicholas (Wyckoff, NJ) – Clothing, Children’s Toys
o Melina Morris and Bombas (bombas.com) – Socks and Underwear
o Constance Mavrovitis and Cynthia Herzegovitch – Clothing Organization
- Toiletry Kits/Personal Care Items
o Georgeann Mavrovitis, Loredona Curtis, Alexandra Speres, Maryann Koutsis, Kathy Papataros
- Homeless Resource Handout – May McGuinness
- Spanish Language Handout – Maria Scaros
- Bags – FreshDirect (freshdirect.com)
With much appreciation, we thank you for your continuing support and participation. During the summer season, we are accepting new/gently worn sneakers (especially men’s sizes 11 and 12) and baseball caps. The next Soup Run is scheduled for July 27, 2023. Please join us.
Despina
Despina Kartson
