When a Parish is focused on giving back to the community during a global pandemic it must get creative to connect with the faithful while also raising money for important causes.
To do this, the staff at St. Leo the Great Parish came up with “St. Leo Shares – A fundraiser event to make your mouth water.” Starting at 3 p.m. each Thursday afternoon there is a drive-thru for take-out food at the Parish Life Center in Bonita Springs. The menu regularly changes, therefore, on Aug. 6, 2020 the offerings from local caterer Frisco’s were a slice of Cuba with a cost of $15 per meal.
Part of the proceeds from the food directly supports the Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc. Food Pantry located on the Parish property.
Father Jarek Snoisek, Pastor of St. Leo the Great, directs traffic and greets each vehicle when his schedule allows. He said the drive-thru food has generated excitement while addressing a real need in support of the food pantry.
“The people here at St. Leo Parish are very generous,” Father Sniosek said, as many of the vehicles coming through not only purchased dinners but dropped off canned goods and donated money.
The proceeds from the first few offerings have allowed the Parish to provide $25 Publix gift cards to those coming each week to the Catholic Charities food pantry. The goal is to distribute 600 within the coming months.
Anne Bellows, Assistant to the Pastor, said the success of the drive-thru has been overwhelming as the food often runs out by 4 p.m. with some vehicles lining up 30 minutes before. In addition, the interaction with faithful helps to build the connection to the Parish while also supporting the outreach efforts.
Bellows added that the Parish also supports food pantries at Jesus the Worker Parish in Fort Myers, St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Moore Haven and St. Margaret Parish in Clewiston.
“The people of St. Leo Parish have always been responsive to those in need,” Bellows explained while wearing festive hats decorated with flowers and fruits. “We all realize that now the need is greater than ever.”
St. the Great Parish is located at 28290 Beaumont Road, Bonita Springs and the drive-thru opens at 3 p.m. until the food lasts. For more information, call 239-992-0901.
The SVdP St. Charles Borromeo and Sacred Heart Conferences participated in a USDA Farms to Family Food Box giveaway on July 24, 2020 at Franz Ross Park in Port Charlotte. This effort included distributing 1,440 boxes of food (23,040 pounds) to the community through various non-profit agencies in the area response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Food distribution
Father Rafal Ligenza, Administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Bradenton was sworn in as U.S. Citizen on July 6, 2020. A native of Poland, Father Ligenza was ordained to the priesthood in 2011 for the Diocese of Venice by Bishop Frank J. Dewane. Father Ligenza has been Administrator at St. Joseph Parish since January of 2019 and previously served as Parochial Vicar at St. William Parish in Naples and St. Columbkille Parish in Fort Myers. Congratulations Father!
As the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season continues (June 1-Nov. 30), a prayer is presented here by which one asks God for protection and safety from the storms that often threaten Southwest Florida. With the formation of Tropical Storm Arthur in med-May, it promises to be another busy season of watching the tropics. We must all remember the devastating effect of Hurricane Irma from 2017 and what was witnessed when Hurricane Michael struck the Florida Panhandle in 2018, everyone in the Diocese of Venice knows and understands the power of these storms and the suffering which follows in their wake.
Hernandez was inside one of dozens of vehicles which stopped by the food pantry on the morning of June 12, 2020, which is open the second and fourth Fridays of each month to help families impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. The food distribution efforts began in late May coinciding with drastic increases in local unemployment as farming in the area reduced or ceased operations.
Some of the vehicles which came through the distribution line were picking up food for multiple families which didn’t have transportation. The food, mostly dry goods – such as rice, beans and canned food – should support families for a few weeks.
This was the assertion made by Maria DeJesus the director of St. Jude Parish Food Pantry in Sarasota. In existence since the Parish was founded in 2006, the food pantry, which sits in a mobile home at the rear of the Parish property, normally assists a few dozen families each week. Most of these families are down on their luck or in need of emergency supplies because of other unexpected expenses.
Starvation might seem like an extreme statement, but when families lose jobs and bills continued to come in, difficult choices must be made. Food becomes a luxury item and as the home cupboards emptied, they turned to the one place they trusted – the Parish.
That same attitude is found at other Parishes which established emergency food pantries. St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Naples set up its emergency food pantry in the Spirit Center, a place where receptions and fun events normally take place. Directed by John Toti, the Parish Events Coordinator in other times, who noted that locally those working in service industries were particularly hard hit and requests for help came pouring in, even as the Parish offices were closed to visitors.
