Boxes of macaroni, cans of tuna fish and
bottles of sauce flew off the shelves of the basement turned food pantry at
Christ the Redeemer Church in Sterling Nov. 16. Food was distributed to some
600 families during the Thanksgiving distribution that day put on by LINK, an
all-volunteer, ecumenical emergency food organization serving Sterling, Herndon
and Ashburn.
The next day — World Day of the Poor —
the parish was at it again, collecting food and clothing for next month’s
Christmas distribution. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge came to the parish to see
their good work and to pray for the poor alongside them Nov. 17. After
celebrating Mass, Bishop Burbidge led a holy hour for the poor in the
afternoon.
“World Day of the Poor is meant to raise
our consciousness, to open our eyes, to move our hearts, to understand that a
response in the midst of poverty and suffering is needed on our part,” Bishop Burbidge
said in his homily. “That includes actually encountering, accompanying,
talking, walking with the poor and certainly the sharing of our resources with
them. For whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do for
Christ himself.”
Pope Francis established World Day of
the Poor in 2016 and frequently speaks about the necessity of caring for the
needy. The pope warns that if people are not vigilant, they will gradually be
able to accept the unacceptable poverty in our midst, said Bishop Burbidge. “The
readings today remind us that at a day and hour we do not know, we will die and
we will be mercifully judged by Our Lord, not according to what we have
accumulated in this life, but rather by what we have given away in service of
our brothers and sisters who need us the most,” he said.
For years, the churches in the area have
taken that Gospel imperative to heart by feeding the hungry together through
LINK. Three Catholic churches — Christ the Redeemer, St. Veronica Church in Chantilly
and St. Joseph Church in Herndon — work with Protestant churches to deliver
food to families every week.
“So many of the people in this area are
working but their income is such that they have to balance and try to pay this
bill and that bill, so we actually deliver to their homes because it’s very
hard for people who are working to come to a food pantry,” said Bob Ashdown, a parishioner
and LINK volunteer. On a monthly basis, the organization has a distribution in
the Christ the Redeemer parking lot, what they call a mobile food pantry. The
Capital Area Food Bank donates the food, usually fresh produce that many people
wait hours in line to receive.
All throughout the year, LINK volunteers
collect and sort the donated food. Oftentimes, churchgoers will drop-off
donations in the narthex. But LINK also rescues food from school cafeterias and
stores such as Wawa, Trader Joe’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken. While the Christ
the Redeemer basement can hold a good amount of nonperishable food, LINK’s perishable
items are stored in the refrigerators and freezers at Herndon United Methodist
Church.
On the Thanksgiving distribution day, half
of the 600 families picked up food at Christ the Redeemer, while the other half
went to Trinity Presbyterian Church in Herndon. Parishioner and longtime LINK volunteer
Monica Sasscer loves watching the volunteers guide the clients through the maze
of boxes and cans. “The volunteers pair up with a person and walk them through
and by the time they finish walking, they’re good friends,” she said. “They
walk out the door and they hug and they say, ‘Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.’ ”
Two girls talk after Mass on World Day of the Poor at
Christ the Redeemer Church in Sterling Nov. 17. ZOEY MARAIST | CATHOLIC HERALD
Ashdown appreciates that World Day of
the Poor highlights the importance of caring for those in need. “I think top
down leadership is good. That the pope and the bishop and the priests are
talking about it and praying about it and inviting people to think more about
it, that helps,” he said.
The Thanksgiving distribution day is always
a little stressful, but during the monthly mobile pantry, Ashdown is able to spend
time with the volunteers and clients. He’s encouraged by what he sees. “Seeing
how many families try to raise their kids to have good Gospel values (by
volunteering) and then on the other side, to see how many people smile as they stand
in line for three hours, just being grateful,” he said.
Find out more
Diocesan Catholic Charities works year-round to serve the
poor and vulnerable of the diocese. Catholic Charities feeds the hungry through
the St. Lucy Food Project, which supplies 1.2 million pounds of food to more
than 50 locations annually. Migration and Refugee Services has resettled thousands of
refugees escaping persecution and Immigrant Services provides legal support and
helps immigrants acquire meaningful, sustaining work skills. The organization shelters
the homeless at Christ House Men’s Transitional Housing in Alexandria and St. Margaret
of Cortona Transitional Residence in Woodbridge.
To learn more, go
to ccda.net.
