Christ the Savior parish faithful serve Thanksgiving Dinner in Chicago’s Little Village
CHICAGO, IL [MW Diocese Communications] — For the fifth year, Archpriest John Baker and the faithful of Christ the Savior Church here provided Thanksgiving dinner to the needy in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
“Each year our Little Village Thanksgiving dinner has grown and changed in different ways,” said Eddie Bocanegra, one of the dinner’s organizers. “With Father John’s blessing and the approval of our parish council, we continued our partnership with Padres Angeles (Parent Angels), a local group of mothers that supports families impacted by community violence, in addition to Father Tom Boharic, a local Catholic priest.”
This year, Christ the Savior parish expanded its partnership with Kolbe House, a ministry based at Assumption Catholic Church that supports inmates at Cook County Jail and families of the incarcerated living in Chicago.
“Not including volunteers, we served meals to 127 people; 100% of the families who attended had either lost a child to violence or have a loved one incarcerated,” Eddie explained. “Even though the event this year was smaller than in previous years, we reached a group of people who often feel isolated and deeply depressed during the holiday season and frequently scorned by the rest of society.”
The meal connected people and created a sense of community.
“For many, this is the only Thanksgiving meal they eat,” Eddie continued. “The professionalism and humble servitude of the volunteers made a deep impression on the attendees and our local partners. We learned a lot in coordinating the event this year and are always interested in learning how we can improve for future years.”
