That's in addition to a program where people adopt families to shop for with their own resources during the holiday season. This is a great tradition. Near St. Nicholas Day, we get all the magnificent young people who are devoted to Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese of New York and they go shopping, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said in the store. And the great thing about it is we know the names, the ages, their sizes and what they needed, so it's very personal.
The Thanksgiving food distribution began last week and continues this week, but the event at St. Patrick's is a traditional ceremony designed to draw attention to the effort and inspire others to join in helping meet the need. We filled a food truck with food to feed those without, Cardinal Dolan said near a truck with the words Feeding our Neighbors as well as Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of New York and 100 years providing help, creating hope. People are in a generous, charitable mood. Catholic Charities does this all year, every day, all the time.
The weekend event, held at Mount Loretto, featured what organizers described as the island's largest pumpkin patch alongside lighted interactive inflatables, children's rides, vendors, beer and sangria gardens, pony rides, a petting zoo, and diverse food options. This year's festival introduced "Mayhem at the Mount," a professionally built haunted attraction that debuted Saturday night. The one-night-only experience was limited to 500 tickets and added a spooky element to the otherwise family-friendly weekend.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - In a quiet but powerful mission to support Staten Islanders in need, volunteers at the St. Edward's Food Pantry continue to serve with compassion. On Sept. 24, they marked the 20th anniversary of their feeding effort with a celebration that began with Holy Mass. The pantry operates out of two repurposed trailers on the grounds of Mount St. Loretto, located at 6581 Hylan Blvd.