BRIDGEPORT—The Thomas Merton Center in Bridgeport had an extremely successful Thanksgiving holiday. According to Director Craig Adler the local soup kitchen and pantry was able to serve more people than ever thanks to donations from local donors, including one area teen.
Fourteen year-old Jason Lambert of Trumbull organized his own food drive after being inspired by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano’s “We Stand With Christ” campaign. He collected enough nonperishable grocery items to stuff an SUV, which he delivered to the Thomas Merton Center’s Eat Smart Marketplace food pantry just in time for Thanksgiving.
“With Jason’s help, our food pantry distributed groceries to approximately 305 families during the week of Thanksgiving. This represents somewhere between 900 and 1,000 individuals being fed through the pantry alone,” states Adler. In addition to meals distributed by the food pantry, the soup kitchen served breakfast to 120 individuals the day before Thanksgiving and a Thanksgiving meal to approximately 200 people.
Center staff, volunteers and guests were surprised by a visit from Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim who stopped by on Wednesday to spend time talking with guests before getting behind the counter with his staff to serve lunch to those in attendance.
The Thomas Merton Center, a program of Catholic Charities of Fairfield County, Inc., is located on Madison Avenue in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Thomas Merton Center is committed to providing a loving, safe and hope-filled community atmosphere that responds to the needs of its guests and residents and respects the dignity of each person.
(For more information on how you can help the Thomas Merton Center by making a donation or volunteering your time, visit the program website at www.themertoncenter.org.)
