At St. Thomas More Catholic Community in Henderson, NV, a pair of Viatorian associates continued a tradition that goes back more than 20 years, of preparing Thanksgiving dinners for homebound seniors, the
Associate Juliann Dwyer sorts through canned goods.
disabled or those who will be alone.
In the past, it has been called GLOWS, or God’s Love Overflows While Serving.
Associate Cheryl Schwarz helped lead the project.
This year, with all of the restrictions imposed because of COVID-19, parish volunteers adapted the tradition a bit, but the goal remained the same: to feed the hungry on this national day of thanks.
“Due to the pandemic, we were unable to deliver meals to homebound seniors this year, but we still wanted to do something,” says Associate Cheryl Schwarz, who serves as Director of Outreach Ministry at St. Thomas More.
Holiday baskets with all the trimmings
Together with Associate Juliann Dwyer, who serves as Religious Education Director, and parish volunteers, they teamed up to prepare Thanksgiving baskets, complete with all the trimmings.
They were given to families who contacted the parish asking for assistance and also to HopeLink of Southern Nevada, who will deliver the boxes to individuals they serve in the Las Vegas Valley.
Providing these Thanksgiving dinners was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Viatorian Community.
“Food insecurity is at an all time high in our nation with the pandemic,” Cheryl added, “but we are grateful to give even a portion of our blessings to others.”