St Rose’s Charitable Drives

Continue To Aid The Needy

After a successful food drive, another call for help went out to members of St Rose of Lima Church in mid-October. Donations of warm winter clothing were urgently needed at several shelters in Bridgeport, Danbury, and Derby. Seven days later, bags and boxes full of coats, jackets, boots, hats, and other winter clothing, plus towels, sheets, and blankets, came pouring in to the rectory garage.

“The response from our parishioners was amazing,” said Joan Dwyer, chairperson of St Rose’s Social Concerns Committee. “We collected well over 500 bags of clothing, sorted it according to each shelter’s needs, and delivered it to delighted workers at each location.”

Handling and moving this volume of clothing required the help of a number of volunteers, Mrs Dwyer explained.

“Thanks to our own committee members, the Knights of Columbus Council 185, students from St Rose’s religious education program, and others who simply showed up and pitched in, we were able to complete our clothing drive in just a week,” she said.

This weekend, several St Rose organizations will be back at work, collecting food for the FAITH food pantry in Sandy Hook and other area pantries and soup kitchens.

On Saturday, November 3, and Sunday, November 4, the Knights of Columbus and the Senior Youth Group, aided by the Social Concerns Committee, will conduct their third annual food drive.

Brown bags and a flyer containing a list of requested items were handed to parishioners after last weekend’s Masses. Some of the nonperishable items noted on the flyer include cereals and pancake mix; soups; canned meats, vegetables, and fruits; pasta and rice; coffee and tea; condiments; peanut butter and jelly, cookies and dessert mixes; and hygiene products, such as toothbrushes, shaving cream, and shampoo.

Bagged donations may be left in the church vestibule during the weekend of November 3 and 4.