Hundreds receive Thanksgiving dinners at the annual Mercy House turkey giveaway
Facing unprecedented demand amidst a slowing economy and a national turkey shortage, the Archdiocese of Newark’s Mercy House distributed 220 free turkeys and bags of side dishes to families in need during its Fifth Annual Thanksgiving Giveaway in Newark on Nov. 22.
The Mercy House, a resource and referral center operated by the archdiocesan Respect Life Office, has always had a good turnout for its holiday tradition — but never to this extent. For the first time in its history, The Mercy House ran out of food to distribute, prompting Logistics Coordinator Steve Taylor to purchase more poultry from a local grocery store. While he was gone, those waiting in line were welcomed inside the building for cookies. Eventually, everyone went home with a turkey for their Thanksgiving meal.
“We’ve never seen anything like this before — there was a lot of need this year,” said Cheryl A. Riley, director of the Respect Life Office and The Mercy House. “It just shows why it’s so important that we do this event every year. We want to make sure everyone has a happy Thanksgiving. And we appreciate all our donors for making it possible.”
People lined up on Clinton Avenue outside of The Mercy House up to three hours in advance of the 11 a.m. giveaway. Recipients included families, single adults, and residents of local halfway houses.
Evelyn expressed gratitude for the Thanksgiving Giveaway, which enabled her family to celebrate the holiday this year. She will be preparing Thanksgiving dinner this year for her six children and grandchildren. Her family Thanksgiving traditions, include “making a lot of different dishes for my family, The grandkids like it.”
This year’s Thanksgiving Giveaway was facilitated through the generosity of The Mercy House’s donors, which included the Troopers United Foundation of the New Jersey State Police, the employees of the Archdiocese of Newark, and the Knights of Columbus in Westfield and Secaucus. Leah and Bobby Antonicello of Grid Real Estate also supplied 100 turkeys, and the Cheer Me Up Foundation provided 20 large baskets of poultry and sides.
Bags of Thanksgiving trimmings and activity bags for children were packed and delivered by students at Christ the Teacher School in Fort Lee. Each bag also included a drawing of a turkey, colored by the students. Additionally, the week before the giveaway, students from Roselle Catholic High School traveled to The Mercy House to deliver and organize supplies for the giveaway.
The extra turkeys purchased last minute were paid for using the financial contributions of supporters, too.
Opened in 2018 as a center for pregnant and parenting women, The Mercy House has since expanded its mission to support anyone in need. Today it provides nonperishable food, clothing, baby supplies, furniture, and help to find work and housing to all who visit its Newark location every Tuesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.rcan.org/respect-life/mercy-house.
Featured image: Over 220 turkeys and the sides were given out at The Mercy House on Nov. 22.
