A holiday donation goes a long way in the effort to help fellow Fresnans

It was the night before the final day of work before our Thanksgiving vacation. I did not sleep well. Perhaps it was the heavy raindrops hitting the exterior of our house. Or, maybe, it was my 4-year-old’s foot penetrating my stomach. He had crawled in our bed in the middle of the night. The rain probably spooked him. Of course, with three young children, waking up in the middle of the night is a common occurrence.

As uncomfortable as the little cute foot was in my gut, I didn’t complain. It is only a matter of time before my child will be older and the cuddling days will end. Looking back, sometimes, I don’t believe that our oldest is 5 years old. It feels like yesterday we brought him home in the summer heat.

Despite the wet roads and the drizzle on my windshield, the morning drive to work was an easy one. There was not a lot of traffic on the streets and it seemed like all the lights were green up until I exited Fulton Street. As I approached Divisadero, I noticed a lot of traffic and a big line next to Catholic Charities Diocese of Fresno. At first I was puzzled, then I realized it was their Thanksgiving food giveaway. I’ve seen lines there before, but this one was longer.

The crowd was diverse. One man stood out. He had a large bucket on his head to shield the drizzle. I wondered what his story was. It turns out that people waited for hours and some even spent the night on the agency’s doorsteps just to make sure they got a turkey and meal box. Over 1,000 families were served that day, but serving families in need is nothing new for Catholic Charities. They have done this for over 50 years.

My first experience with Catholic Charities was when I was a student at Fresno State. Our class volunteered to box and distribute food during one of their giveaways. Although it has been 18-years since that day, I still remember the experience and the people’s gratitude as we gave them their box of food.

The next day was Thanksgiving and on the other side of downtown Fresno, the Poverello House began serving the annual Thanksgiving Day meals. The organization has done so for 46 years. Meals included Thanksgiving staples such as turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and much more. As special as the Thanksgiving meal is, it’s not the only meal that Poverello House serves. Anywhere from 1,200 to 1,600 meals are served by the organization each day.

On Thanksgiving afternoon, while our family and relatives gathered around the table, a prayer was said regarding thankfulness. At that moment, I forgot about the sleepless night from a day ago. As we began to fill our plates with all sorts of goodies, I did remember the gentleman with the bucket shielding his head and the hundreds of families served by Catholic Charities and the Poverello House. Where would their meal come from if not for strong organizations in our community?

Although our family did not make a Thanksgiving contribution this year, Christmas is around the corner and will be a busy time for both organizations. For those who, like us, weren’t able to donate at Thanksgiving this year, please consider doing so during the Christmas season. There are a number organizations in our community whose purpose is to help those encountering difficult times. A small donation goes a long way.

This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 7:00 AM with the headline "A holiday donation goes a long way in the effort to help fellow Fresnans."