homeless Archives - Diocese of Venice

Thanksgiving 2025 celebrated across the Diocese

Posted on December 9, 2025 by Bob Reddy

The idea of giving thanks, knowing that we are here because of gifts given to us by God, is at the core of what Thanksgiving is all about.

Bishop Frank J. Dewane described the holiday this way while celebrating Mass at Our Lady of the Angels Parish in Lakewood Ranch on Nov. 27, 2025.

“This uniquely American holiday gives us an opportunity to pause and look at what it is we do to thank God for His many blessings in our lives,” Bishop Dewane said. “It is an infinite gift God sends year after year – a gift that never leaves us, but is always present, in the Eucharist – a cornucopia of love, that we are called to magnify throughout the world with the lives we lead.”

The Gospel reading of the day (Luke 17:11-19) was the parable of the 10 lepers, when only one returned to thank Jesus upon being cured of the debilitating illness. Jesus asks where the other nine were. Bishop Dewane stressed how we are all among the missing nine at certain points in our life, but we must always strive to be among the ones who return.

“By your presence at Mass on Thanksgiving, you are counted among those who returned to Jesus, just as you came to give thanks to God today. Know the Lord sees the goodness in you and thanks you,” Bishop Dewane said.

Bishop Dewane went from the Mass in Lakewood Ranch to take part in a free community Thanksgiving dinner hosted by the Knights of Columbus Our Lady of Victory Council 3358 at their Hall on Fruitville Road in Sarasota.

The Knights delivered more than 170 meals to the elderly and homebound and then served more than 300 meals to those who needed a hot meal or didn’t have anywhere to go for the holiday. Guests were also encouraged to take meals home. Those meals included turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, cranberry sauce, roll, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream.

Bishop Dewane offered the opening prayer for the Knights and other volunteers before the dining room was opened. Then, the Bishop took his traditional spot in charge of serving the corn.

Being grateful for what they have was a strong theme during traditional Thanksgiving events throughout the Diocese of Venice.

As part of Saint William Parish HOPE (Homeless Outreach Program for Empowerment) ministry in Naples, 25 volunteers from Saint William and Saint Peter the Apostle Parishes, in partnership with Catholic Charities of Collier County, hosted a Thanksgiving Lunch for the homeless in Naples Nov. 25. For the day, 127 hot meals were provided in partnership with Sage Events Catering Chef Amber Phillips and Calusa Pines Golf Club Chef Jason Harp.

In addition, Saint William Parish held a Food and Turkey Drive to fill the pantry at The Judy Sullivan Resource Center of Catholic Charities in East Naples. Based on the overwhelming response of parishioners, enough food was collected to feed 600 families between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and 120 frozen turkeys were collected to be distributed to Catholic Charities in both Naples and Immokalee.

Knights of Columbus and volunteers from St. Columbkille Parish in Fort Myers drop off turkeys to St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Moore Haven on Nov. 20, 2025.

St. Columbkille Parish in Fort Myers delivered 288 turkeys to St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Moore Haven and St. Margaret Parish in Clewiston. In addition to the turkeys, other Thanksgiving food, as well as coats from children, were delivered. This outreach was a joint effort of the Parish and the Knights of Columbus.

Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School teamed up with the St Vincent de Paul Society to collect donations for its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. Items collected were distributed to the St. Vincent de Paul Society food pantries at St. Jude and St. Thomas More Parishes in Sarasota, as well as the St. Joseph Food Pantry and Stillpoint Mission in Bradenton.

Cardinal Mooney students also volunteered on Nov. 26, at the 25^th Annual Thanksgiving Wednesday Community Luncheon which was hosted by St. Martha Parish. This luncheon is a combined effort of the Sarasota Ministerial Association and 17 local organizations. More than 350 meals were served to the needy in the community. The Cardinal Mooney students helped to serve the food.

Multiple faiths on Longboat Key came together for the 45^th annual interreligious Thanksgiving Worship Service on Nov. 18. Included was Father Robert Dziedziak. Pastor of Our Lady, Star of the Sea Parish. The service and gathering had a special meaning of healing as the island community continues to recover from the 2024 Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Ahead of the Thanksgiving break, young students at several Diocesan Catholic schools had the opportunity to participate in their own local “Macy’s” Thanksgiving Day parade, with the youngest students dressing up as characters and carrying balloons with some creating floats.

Gratitude for the many blessings enjoyed by the Diocese of Venice was widespread, and heartfelt!

Easter meal shared with homeless in Naples – Parish partners with Catholic Charities

Posted on April 18, 2024 by Bob Reddy

Partnering with Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc., the parishioners of St. William Parish provided a hot Easter meal for area homeless on April 4, 2024, the Thursday within the Octave of Easter.

Father George Ratzmann, Pastor at St. William, offered the prayer before the meal, “We pray that our time together, company we keep, and food we eat will nourish us both physically and spiritually.”

The meal took place outside of the Judy Sullivan Family Resource Center of Catholic Charities, as more than 100 were served a hot meal which included chicken, potatoes, salad and cake for dessert. The Parish also hosted a similar dinner just after Christmas.

The meal was prepared by volunteers as some served the meals on tables set up in the parking lot in a relaxed atmosphere.

The gratitude of those being served was expressed in many ways, from “God Bless you,” and “Thank you” ringing out, as well as many handshakes and even a few hugs.

Mary, who has been homeless since 2021 when an illness caused her to have huge bills while also losing her job, said the people of Catholic Charities are very kind and supportive of her needs, providing food and clothes when needed. “This Easter meal was very delicious, and I can tell that everyone here is doing it because they want to help. That means so much.”

Father Ratzmann said it is wonderful to be able to offer a hot meal to those in need, and noted the benefits to the homeless are as great as to those who offer their time to volunteer. “We all gain from helping the children of God, in whatever circumstance we find them.”

The homeless outreach of Catholic Charities includes assistance from caseworkers, and essentials such as food, clothing, and toiletries.

In addition, with transportation being one of the greatest obstacles for the homeless population in Collier County, St. William Parish has partnered with the Knights of Columbus, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and Bikes for Tykes, to purchase tricycles for distribution by Catholic Charities.

The goal is to provide every homeless person with a recognizable (bright yellow), non-saleable adult tricycle. Each can carry a heavy load and has two baskets to secure personal items.

As it has been recognized that the need for reliable and safe transportation for the homeless exists throughout the region, it is the goal of the St. William Parish to expand the tricycle outreach to additional communities in partnership with Catholic Charities.

Lee County Parish reaches out to help homeless

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Bob Reddy

Coming together in service for others is a key component of living a faithful Catholic life.

The Lee County Homeless Coalition posted this image to social media on Oct. 1, 2020 of Blessing Bags donated by the faithful of Our Lady of Light Parish in Fort Myers.

Our Lady of Light Parish in Fort Myers offers a variety of programs throughout the year to help encourage parishioners to engage in service to help others in the community. One recent effort is the Blessing Bags Project, which collected items to be distributed to the homeless in Lee County.

Thanks to the generosity and caring of the faithful, more than 200 Blessing Bags were created and shared with the Lee County Homeless Coalition for distribution. The Coalition expressed their appreciation on social media on Oct. 1, 2020, posting photos of the donations received, commenting: “Thank you so much for your generosity!”

While successful, the Blessing Bag project was a challenge during the ongoing global pandemic, explained project lead Chelsea Plesko, Parish Coordinator of Faith Formation.

“With fewer people coming to church on the weekends, we got creative in spreading the word,” Plesko said. “It started as a project for our young parishioners in Faith Formation and grew from there.”

Email blasts, plus online bulletin announcements detailing the specific need and relevant deadlines, helped to spread the word. Key items needed included socks, lip balm, sunscreen, single-serving nuts and beef jerky, as well as toiletries.

A close up of a completed Blessing Bags filled with donated items for the homeless in Lee County created by the faithful of Our Lady of Light Parish in Fort Myers in September 2020.

The response was impressive as most donations were dropped off in bins at the Parish on the weekend of Sept. 20, 2020. Others were creative and ordered what was needed online and had the items delivered directly to the Parish.

“Even though this year was harder than usual for many, it did not stop our parishioners from generously donating to our annual Blessing Bags project,” said Oblate of St. Francis de Sales Father Hugh McGuigan, Pastor of Our Lady of Light. “I’m proud of all those involved that helped us to create over 200 blessing bags for the homeless population in Lee County.”

Because of COVID-19 precautions, all donated items were untouched for 24 hours and before there were separate sorting and packing parties. Plesko explained that in past years these would be large social gathering with refreshments, but in 2020 alterations were made to ensure the work was completed while keeping everyone safe.

Plesko said more than 50 participated in the sorting on Sept. 23 and packing on Oct. 24 as all wore gloves and masks. Children in the Faith Formation program earned service hours for their work.

Once sorted, bag fillers went from station to station to have someone deposit items into gallon Ziploc bags versus just grabbing handfuls of what was needed. In addition to the donated items, each bag included a prayer card and notes of encouragement from the parishioners.

The Blessing Bags project at Our Lady of Light is just one of many the faithful participate in each year. While the pandemic has brought its challenges to these efforts, adjustments have been made to ensure continued success.