by Wende Carr

It’s a beautiful thing when people from various backgrounds work together for a common cause. And this holiday season, there is no shortage of cooperation evidenced here in the Adirondacks. In the past two weeks, deacons and laypersons from Niccolls Memorial Presbyterian Church, St. Bartholomew’s Catholic Church of Old Forge, and St. Anthony’s Catholic Church of Inlet have worked to make this Thanksgiving a more special one for families in the region.

Lisa Lloyd wheels Thanksgiving baskets to delivery vehicles at St. Bartholomew’s Church. Photo by Wende Carr

Linda Hippisley, moderator of the Niccolls Memorial Board of Deacons, and Eileen Tobin, Food Pantry Coordinator at St. Bartholomew’s, communicated with each other to assure that Thanksgiving dinners would be provided to families and individuals in need of assistance this holiday.

The sharing of recipient lists assured that the two groups wouldn’t duplicate or leave anyone out.

Niccolls Church deacons met last Thursday evening and filled boxes decorated for the holiday with food and added handmade Thanksgiving cards containing gift cards to a local store. Most of the food was donated by people in the church.

Kinney Drugs, Town of Webb Schools and the Old Forge Post Office also set out donation boxes and delivered their contents to Niccolls, to be included in the gift boxes.

According to Tobin, the Knights of Columbus and St. Anthony’s Altar & Rosary Society each contributed $200, and members of St. Bartholomew’s Altar and Rosary Society contributed homemade breads. Continue reading →

by Wende Carr

Eileen Tobin initially got involved with the local churches’ holiday meal baskets program as an outgrowth of the relationships she developed with families participating in the weekly food bank at St. Bartholomew’s Church. The food pantry doesn’t just provide food, according to Tobin. It is also stocked with toiletries, cleaning supplies and other household necessities.

Parishioners and non-parishoners are always welcome to drop donations in a box located in the lobby of the church.

“As supplies come into the pantry, people do take them, so we always need to restock supplies,” Tobin said. “We go through a lot, especially at the beginning of each month.”

She adds that grateful recipients ask what they can do to help and “give back.”

Their work is welcomed in stocking and other work required to keep the pantry running, she said.

A longtime supporter of the holiday food basket project and the food pantry is Dan Hitchcock of Dan’s Big M in Eagle Bay.

Hitchcock regularly donates meats and other perishable products that are stored in a freezer at the food bank.

He also places a donation jar for the food pantry at the store’s checkout counter.

“It’s easy to help people who are helping others. Eileen has always been good to us, shopping here. She’s fantastic! We’re in the food business and it’s hard to think of people going hungry,” he said.

Continue reading →