CHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Church recently concluded one of its most successful ever campaigns to provide food, education and agricultural assistance to the poor in Haiti, Jamaica and elsewhere.
The 18th annual Monsignor McSweeney World Hunger Drive ended Oct. 4. The parish’s goal was to raise $220,000 to buy and ship more than 240,000 pounds of food and supplies, as well as provide funds for education and sustainability projects. The parish ended up raising more than $251,000 and organizers expected to be able to ship an estimated 320,000 pounds of food.
This year’s World Hunger Drive was understandably different. Given the extraordinary challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the parish was unable to conduct its traditional Meal Packing Event, when over 1,200 participants pack 300,000 meals or collect food donations. Organizers shifted the campaign online, starting with video conference meetings for ministry leaders and volunteers to plan for this year’s drive. Efforts to get the word out included a video produced by parish videographer Jim Alvarez, an article in the Catholic News Herald, and interviews on local TV stations and Catholic radio.
Participants chose coupons online rather than picking from giving trees set up inside the church. Volunteers collected donations of money from parishioners and visitors who attended reduced-capacity Masses and outdoor Communion services.
Parishioners young and old contributed to the campaign to ensure its success.
One boy noted, “I am giving everything I have in my piggy bank savings to help feed the hungry.” An elderly woman mentioned that she could not afford to give too much, but she saves her coins throughout the year, every year, so she can support the World Hunger Drive.
Debbie Kane, co-leader of the drive, noted, “The parishioners of St. Matthew take our connection to each other very seriously. They opened their hearts and generously gave to support our family in Haiti. Our parish is truly ‘Connected in Christ! Moved by the Spirit!’”
The Monsignor McSweeney World Hunger Drive supports the Missionaries of the Poor, who serve the poor in Haiti and Jamaica. MOP provides care and support for children at St. Marc’s School in Tremesse, Haiti, as well as an orphanage. The campaign also shares a portion of the proceeds with children of the Diocese of La Guaira, Venezuela, as well as local food banks such as Second Harvest and Mel’s Diner.
Over the past 18 years, the campaign has provided more than 3.2 million pounds of food and supplies, as well as money for education, agriculture and irrigation supplies, and the stocking of tilapia and chicken farms in Haiti and Jamaica.
Father John Allen, parochial administrator, said, “The Monsignor McSweeney World Hunger Drive is one of the many impressive works of mercy that St. Matthew parishioners undertake each year. We are blessed to share the communion of prayer, solidarity and friendship with our family in Haiti and the Missionaries of the Poor. I am so grateful to all who have shown such remarkable support for our virtual food drive and for the incredible impact it is providing in the wake of the pandemic and so much conflict in Haiti.”
— Julia Turner, Special to the Catholic News Herald