Thanksgiving comes once a year, and many groups in Hudson County make sure they care for the community by offering dinners to homeless and other less fortunate people.
In Hoboken, Sister Norberta Hunnewinkel at the Hoboken Homeless Shelter (300 Bloomfield St.) will offer a dinner on Thanksgiving on Nov. 27 that will consist of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes and vegetables at 7:30 p.m.
The Hoboken Shelter receives help every year from the Hoboken Clergy Coalition and the New Jersey Community Food Bank, according to Hunnewinkel. (See sidebar for phone numbers of the organizations listed in this article).
Mario’s Classic Pizza at 742 Garden St. in Hoboken will be hosting a free traditional Thanksgiving dinner from 1 to 7 p.m. The dinner is open to everyone in the community who is in need of it.
Willie McBride’s Restaurant, in conjunction with city, will be hosting a Shaun Hession’s annual Senior Citizen Pre-Thanksgiving Luncheon at Willie McBride’s Restaurant at 616 Grand St. in Hoboken on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 1 p.m. Seating is limited and is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Transportation will be provided by the City of Hoboken with pick-up at various senior citizen buildings beginning at 12 pm. Call (201) 420-2054 for more information.
In addition, the Hoboken Clergy Coalition will host their annual Interfaith Community Thanksgiving service on Nov. 24 at 4 p.m. at the Our Lady of Grace at 400 Willow Ave. Those who visit are urged to consider bringing canned goods and non-perishable supplies, as a collection will be taken for the In Jesus’ Name Food Pantry (see cover story).
St. Francis Church also has a food pantry that serves 20-25 lunches daily for the homeless or unemployed. Donations are always welcomed for these food packages. Donations can be left at the rectory at 308 Jefferson St. Good choices for the food pantry include: pasta, rice, beans, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti sauce, canned fish, meats, fruits or vegetables, and cake or biscuit mixes. The food pantry will be open on Thanksgiving.
In Union City, the Brian Stack Civic Association, as part of a 17-year tradition, is donating 5,000 turkeys to needy families. Stack, the city’s mayor, has been helping many families throughout his active public career.
The St. John’s Shelter at 111 37 St. in Union City will have a dinner on Thanksgiving from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. It will be a traditional turkey dinner, according to Director Tom Harrigan, and more than 125 people are expected to attend.
The Salvation Army is another group helping the hungry in the community by hosting lunch at its Jersey City location at 562 Bergen Ave. Volunteers and Salvations Army staff will begin serving lunch at 1 p.m.
Also, the Jersey City Parish of the Resurrection, which combines the parishes of St. Boniface, St. Bridget, St. Mary, St. Michael and St. Peter, will be holding a series of services and events. On Wednesday Nov. 26 there will be a trilingual Thanksgiving eve mass at St. Mary, at 219 Third St. in Jersey City at 7:15 p.m. On Thursday Nov. 27, there will be an English mass at St. Peters at 9:30 a.m., and a bilingual mass at St. Bridget’s at 9:30 a.m. All parishioners are asked to bring a can of food or a box/package of nonperishable food to the mass for the poor for the churches’ Food Pantry.
If you would like to donate a turkey to a poor family, call the Parish Office before Thanksgiving at (201) 434-8500.
For more information
St. Francis Church: 659-1772
Hoboken Homeless Shelter: 656-5069
Mario’s Classic Pizza: 659-0808
Hoboken Clergy Coalition programs: 792-0340, ext. 13.
Salvation Army in Jersey City: 653-3071
Salvation Army in Union City: 867-4093
St. John’s Shelter in Union City: 348-8150
The Brian Stack Civic Association in Union City: 863-8583
Catholic Community Services in Union City: 866-3208
The Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Hillside: (908) 355-3663
Parish of the Resurrection in Jersey City: 434-8500
All area codes are (201) unless otherwise indicated.