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PUBLISHED ON EDITION NO.
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326
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12/01/2009 |
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Thanksgiving 2009 in Lawrence |
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By
Alberto Surís
albertosuris@rumbonews.com
Thanks to organizations such as The Salvation Army, Lazarus
House, Food for the World, Neighbors in Need, Daybreak Shelter
and Cor Unum, just to mention a few, for many in the city and
the surrounding areas, Thanksgiving Day was a real Holiday.
In our November 22nd edition we reported about the
distribution of more than 1,500 turkeys by Food for the World
from their main pantry located at 447 Essex Street, in
Lawrence. Neighbors in Need had a similar distribution a week
before by their seven pantries located throughout the city.
This week, on Thanksgiving Day, Rumbo visited the Daybreak
Shelter, located at 19 Winter Street, in Lawrence, MA and Cor
Unum Meal Center, located at 118 South Broadway. Both places,
like many others, have seen an increment in guests.
As documented in the past, the Daybreak Shelter, although
funded for 30 beds, have the capacity to admit up to 50 guests
on a given night. The shelter counts with a small staff and a
group of volunteers who can cook meals in a small stove to
feed them on a daily basis.
On Thanksgiving Day, the shelter sees more guests than usual.
“Last year we had 150 and this year we expect about the same,”
said Angelo Boria of the shelter. The only difference is that
last year, they had to do the cooking at the shelter. “This
year the food was catered by Texas Roadhouse Restaurant,” said
Boria.
According to Boria, the Texas Roadhouse, supplied the
traditional Thanksgiving dinner, consisting of turkey, mash
potatoes, green beans, etc. For the Latino taste, they had
roast pork, rice and beans cooked by Boria with the help of a
group of his volunteers at the tiny kitchen.
At 4:30 P.M. when they opened the doors at Cor Unum Meal
Center, the first 80 people came in for a treat. According to
Father Paul O'Brien the number of people who turn out for
Thanksgiving is lower than any other day of the year.
“Actually, Christmas is our busiest night,” said Father
O’Brien.
On a regular day, Cor Unum serves more than 500 meals. “We
have a lot to thank our volunteers,” said Father O’Brien.
“Even during the summer months, when most people go on
vacation, we never experienced a shortage of volunteers. We
couldn’t do it without them,” said Father O’Brien. |
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Daybreak
Shelter’s crew: Back row, from left: Angelo Boria, Greg
Davenport, Curt Cassista and Ernesto Adorno. Front row, from
left: Larry Villirs, Hilda Morales, Blanca Ramos and
Alejandro Ramón Gonzalez. |
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