March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 50 F

St. Vincent de Paul Society Collects Over 14,000 Pounds Of Food For The Light House

Right - Father Kevin Milton, St Mary’s Parish with Deacon Leroy Moore, also from St. Mary’s Parish
Right – Father Kevin Milton, St Mary’s Parish with Deacon Leroy Moore, also from St. Mary’s Parish

705 bags weighing over 14,000 pounds, of non-perishable food were donated to the Light House: A Homeless Prevention and Support Center in Annapolis through a March food drive organized by The Saint Vincent de Paul Society at St. Mary’s Parish in Annapolis. The 705 bags weighed in at 14,000 pounds, equal to 7 tons of food.

The Society is the primary charitable organization of the Parish, providing direct emergency aid to those in need in Annapolis on Mondays and Wednesdays each week and volunteering in support of the shelter’s daily operations. A member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society serves as Parish liaison to The Light House, with a member of St. Mary’s serving on the Light House Board of Directors.

Parishioners of St. Mary’s Parish generously donated the food, and Graul’s Market of Annapolis donated empty grocery bags for the parishioners to fill. Parishioners received empty bags and returned full bags of food to the church one week later. A team of dedicated volunteers collected and transported all the food to the shelter.

One entire room at The Light House was filled to the brim with the grocery bags of food. Volunteers, students from Indian Creek and the Light House Building Employment Success Training program’s (B.E.S.T.) culinary and retail students all pitched in to help organize the food donations.

The donated bags of food were blessed by Father Kevin Milton, St. Mary’s spiritual advisor to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society and Deacon Leroy Moore, St. Mary’s Director of Liturgy and Liturgical Ministries. Father Milton was accompanied by Kitty Van de Kamp, President, Most Holy Redeemer Conference, Saint Vincent de Paul Society; Elaine Larison, organizer of the food drive and several members of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society and St. Mary’s Pastoral Council, and Sam Davies, volunteer recruiter for the food drive who also serves as the Society’s liaison to The Light House.

L to R Pam Siemer, Development Director, Light House Marcus Grant, Kitchen and Pantry Manager, Light House Michele Marshall, Associate Development Director, Light House Kitty and John Van de Kamp, she is Pres. of the St Vincent de Paul Society conference (John is her husband), Sam Davies, Volunteer Coordinator for the Food Drive, Elaine Larison, St. Mary’s Food Drive Coodinator, Deacon Leroy Moore and Father Kevin Milton.
L to R Pam Siemer, Development Director, Light House
Marcus Grant, Kitchen and Pantry Manager, Light House
Michele Marshall, Associate Development Director, Light House
Kitty and John Van de Kamp, she is Pres. of the St Vincent de Paul Society conference (John is her husband), Sam Davies, Volunteer Coordinator for the Food Drive, Elaine Larison, St. Mary’s Food Drive Coodinator, Deacon Leroy Moore and Father Kevin Milton.

Pam Siemer, Director of Development, Light House, accepted the food on behalf of the shelter, “this generous food donation will support the shelter’s pantry program supporting those in need of food in the Annapolis area for more than a month. This is the largest amount of food the Light House Shelter has ever received in any food drive. The next largest was St. Mary’s previous food drive. We are grateful to the members of St. Mary’s Parish for their heart-felt generosity “

Last year, thanks to our generous community The Light House provided groceries to more than 4,000 people in the Annapolis community and distributed over 80,000 meals.  The Light House depends on thousands of volunteers and donors, along with the hard working staff, to provide services to thousands of community members in need.

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