GREENSBORO — Parishioners at St. Pius X Church donated more than three tons of food – 6,300 pounds – in a special food drive held in honor of Mother’s Day and benefiting Greensboro Urban Ministry.
On May 10 people drove through the church’s parking lot, where Knights of Columbus and volunteers with the “Guys Doing Stuff” ministry collected their donations while maintaining safe social distancing.
“The great outpouring of generosity by St. Pius X parishioners is just heartwarming,” said Mary O’Neill, parishioner and director of the food pantry at Greensboro Urban Ministry. “Normally, we have two big food drives in the spring which carries us through summer, but because of COVID-19, they were canceled.”
“This is a great opportunity to honor our mothers – who fed us not only with food at our tables, but with the example of their charity,” said Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, St. Pius X’s pastor. “We can continue their legacy of love and pay them tribute on Mother’s Day by generously assisting other mothers and families as they put food on their tables.”
Greensboro Urban Ministry has served the Greensboro community for over five decades providing emergency assistance, food and housing for people in need. Its programs include Weaver House, a year-round shelter accommodating 100 adults nightly; Pathways Center, which provides temporary housing for up to 16 families; Partnership Village, a housing community for families “resettling” after homelessness; and Potter’s House Community Kitchen, which serves lunch daily to 400 community guests.
Weaver House guests receive breakfast and dinner at Potter’s House, and these meals are typically sponsored by local churches including St. Pius X, which has provided meals to Potter’s House for decades.
“The people, they are so happy and appreciative, you just feel good about yourself afterwards,” said parishioner Desmond Morrissey.
“Greensboro Urban Ministry is one of our longest-standing community partners,” said Carolyn Painley, parish pastoral associate. “Working with GUM is truly living out our mission to know, love and serve the Lord.”
In 2019, the food pantry distributed 1.4 million pounds of food to 22,454 households and 42,725 individuals. Besides canned and boxed food items, each household also receives fresh produce, fresh meat, bread, dessert and pre-made meals.
“It’s really a well-rounded order – we feed approximately 100 households a day and clients can visit the pantry once a month,” O’Neill said.
The May 10 donations from St. Pius X will enable Greensboro Urban Ministry to feed 378 people.
“We’ve had a long history of great support from St. Pius X,” noted Myron Wilkins, executive director of Greensboro Urban Ministry. “It is a great encouragement to us to know that people not only care about what we care about, but they also trust us as a steward of their resources.”
— Georgianna Penn, Correspondent
