Soup Run Update - March 31

By Despina Kartson

During last night's soup run in Manhattan, the rain stopped, a coach bus moved out of the way and made room for us, the NYPD stood by and said they'd be there if we needed them - people working together to feed our guests on the street. We arrived next to Madison Square Garden where a large crowd was waiting for us. We could hardly set up shop fast enough before we were giving out meals of homemade macaroni & cheese, vegetables and peach cobbler - all still warm and delicious. Hundreds of socks, underwear, hoodies, jackets and toiletry kits were distributed within an hour. More than 100 meals were offered and just as we served the last one, a few more hungry souls arrived and all we could offer was a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. There never seems to be enough for the homeless in New York City.

As always, our guests were thankful for what we provided - food, compassion, laughs and respect. A gentleman took our meal, walked away to eat it, returned for coffee and said he was going to sit at a nearby table and drink it imagining he was in Paris! One of our volunteers was talking with an elderly woman who takes the A train from Far Rockaway to Manhattan for food and clothing. She lives on a fixed income and doesn't have enough money to pay rent and buy food so she does the best she can through the kindness of strangers. Her fingers were swollen, stiff and in pain due to a medical problem so one of our volunteers took off her own gloves and helped put them on the woman. When the woman saw that the gloves had a few sparkles on them, she smiled and said they were nice enough for her to wear them to church! 
A young man, wearing only pants and a light jacket, was happy to be given a pair of sweat pants and a sweatshirt. He put them on right in front of us and said even though the size was a bit small, anything warm was better than nothing. Toward the end of the evening, a man brought back a jacket we had given him earlier. He said it didn't fit him so he was returning it so that someone else could wear it. Within a minute, we found that someone else.

We always find that someone else, the one more person who is in need and we offer them all that we have. We went home with empty bins last night - as we should - all items given away. Through the generosity of our Holy Trinity parish community, the Philoptochos, this month's sponsor Kathy Tzortzidis, Minos Samoladas, Manny Louros' great cooking and the many volunteers who offer their time and talents, we try to make a difference once a month to the hungry and homeless. Please help us continue to make a difference and join us next month on April 27th. Donations of socks and new men's and women's underwear are always welcome.

Soup Run Update - February 26

By Despina Kartson

"We don't have a place to sleep tonight but you put a smile on my face because you gave me a good meal." This is one of the comments we heard Thursday night as we served 115 meals to our guests on 33rd Street in Manhattan during our "soup run". Our food provides a bit of sustenance, our conversations provide a bit of compassion and comfort.

The balmy weather brought out many of our regular guests and many others who were in need. We served in our usual spot and also walked around the block looking for additional hungry souls as we were not able to go into Penn Station. It's a humbling and sweet experience to walk up to a lonely, destitute person sitting on the sidewalk or in a wheelchair and offer them a meal and a cup of coffee. They smile, thank us and seem quite surprised by the gesture. We talked with Leslie who asked, "What's the remedy for a broken heart"? We were happy to see Charmaine again but concerned that she was not doing well and seemed to have taken a step backward. Telling her that God may be disappointed with her but would always love her seemed to be a bit of a sobering comment. A woman we approached on the street who looked to be in need said she lost her home after she became a victim of identity theft. A group sitting in an area off 33rd Street accepted our food and we were happy to give an extra meal to the pregnant wife of one of the men. Pregnant and homeless - can you imagine?

The variety of individuals we meet with stories that touch and surprise never seem to end. A Spanish-speaking freelance set designer is homeless because he hasn't worked in a while and can't afford a home. As we spoke with him, in our limited Spanish and with a friend interpreting, he kept looking at us in amazement as he never expected to be offered a warm meal and a warm conversation on the street. He said, "I am a Christian but sometimes I lose my faith". The wooden cross that Fr. Patrick asked us to give to someone who needed it found it's home with this quiet and gentle man. We left him saying Vaya con Dios, knowing that the cross would give him strength.

As we reflect on the monthly experience of our soup run, we continue to be humbled by the dignity of those we have come to know. Our friend Luther, who is finally living in an apartment, insisted on giving us $20 because we provided him with some household items and drove him to his apartment with a trunk full of goods. We tried to refuse the donation but he wouldn't let us. So the $20 will be used to purchase additional items for our next soup run!

In addition to the meal of chili, rice, granola bars and oranges, we distributed numerous toiletry kits, socks, underwear and men's and women's clothing. The Philoptochos homeless outreach mission is made possible through the amazingly generous donations and contributions of our New Rochelle parish community. Monthly soup run sponsorships, including this month which was sponsored by David Kerwick and Despina Hatziergati, clothing donations, special donations by Minos Samoladas, and the sharing of time and talents by our many volunteers provide the ongoing ability to serve the overwhelming number of hungry and homeless in New York. Your contributions and participation are always welcome. Please join us on Thursday, March 30th.

Soup Run - January 27

By Despina Kartson

Last night we provided 110 meals - lemon chicken, vegetables, rice - to our guests on 33rd Street in Manhattan who were patiently waiting for us on a windy January evening. Our caravan of cars loaded with volunteers, food and clothing pulled up to a crowd lined up on the sidewalk. We quickly set up tables, unloaded boxes, bins and bags full of warm food, toiletries, winter coats, sweaters, pants and blankets. To witness the soup run operation, from the time we leave church until the time we return, is to witness a beautiful coming together of volunteers working so well together to serve the hungry and the homeless.

We provided clothing to many women and men and received requests for underwear and socks - always the two most needed items. To some of our guests, our meal was their only meal of the day, our clothing was their only opportunity to wear something warm, dry and clean and a coat was what a pregnant woman needed most.

While we feed their bodies, we also offer food for their souls. Thanks to Eirini Metaxas, we offered beautiful icons with scripture and encouraging words. As one man told Eirini that he was grateful for the icon and said “soul food is the most important kind of food”.

Our friends Luther and Carolyn are happy to be in an apartment for the first time in years. As they told us, they were finally sleeping indoors, on a bed and able to enjoy watching Cheers on TV! The very simple, yet critically important things in life - to be indoors and to sleep on a bed! Thanks to George and Colleen Kourakos, we gave them linens and housewares and Phil Herzegovitch drove them to their new apartment with a trunk full of goodies!

Special thanks to all who volunteered, those who support the monthly soup run behind the scenes, Georgeanne Mavrovitis, Constance Mavrovitis and Cynthia Herzegovitch for organizing the clothing and toiletries, Manny Louros for the delicious food, and for this month's anonymous sponsor. We are also most appreciative of donations of socks, underwear (men's and women's), coats and blankets - which are the only donations we are accepting at this time. Please join us on February 23rd.

Soup Run Update - October 27

By Despina Kartson

Last night in the torrential rain, a group of men and women patiently waited on the sidewalk in Manhattan for our group to set up food, coffee and clothing as we do every month - and as our guests have come to anticipate our time with them. We served more than 100 meals of lemon chicken, rice, vegetables, fruit, granola bars and coffee. It was difficult to keep everything dry but we worked as quickly as we could to serve the warm meals and then we went into Penn Station and distributed more meals.

In Penn Station, we met Kevin who asked us to pray for him. We said we would and then he asked us if we would pray with him at that moment. We asked Kevin what he wanted to pray for and he said "a book to read and that you won't see me out here any more". A book to read - such a simple request.

We also met one of our "regulars" who had not expected to see us because of the rain. She asked for our priest and came outside to 33rd Street to meet Fr. Patrick. She had a cart with her that was empty because her belongings were stolen when she left her cart earlier in the day to buy a cup of tea. We loaded her up with the remaining clothing we had - she took everything we offered.

A homeless Vietnam veteran, whose grandson is serving in the military in the Middle East, talked with us for a while and was grateful for food and conversation. He thanked us; we thanked him for his service. Another man told us he lost his apartment in a fire and is happy that at least he has a car to live in. We also talked with a man who had no clothes and we took him to KMart and bought a pair of pants.

Thank you to Manny for cooking the delicious meal, to our anonymous sponsor, to Minos Samoladas for his generous donation which enabled us to purchase numerous socks and underwear, and to the many volunteers who served, donated and supported our mission. Please join us next month on November 17.

Annual Night of Champions

The annual Night of Champions sponsored by the Westchester Community Opportunity Program (Westcop) was held on Friday, October 7th at Holy Trinity Church.