By Tim Harfmann
Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same for Ka-desha Bremby, her two children and grandchild without help from Catholic Charities.
“Struggling because I don’t get enough for me and my kids; so most likely it wouldn’t have been a turkey, it probably would’ve been a chicken,” she explained.
Ka-desha is one of hundreds receiving a turkey and all the fixings thanks to dedicated Catholics in the Brooklyn Diocese.
A line wrapped around the courtyard at Saint Jerome Church in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. People packed the pews inside before starting their shopping, supermarket-style.
All of the items available are donated.
“Catholic Charities is about compassion, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re a caring community. We really care about the people that we serve,” explained Debbie Hampson of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens.
“I’m going to have a Thanksgiving with my family, and I’m very grateful,” said Aridai Sanchez, who also received a holiday meal from Catholic Charities.
Al Catanese, a parishioner at Saint Francis de Sales Church in Belle Harbor, Queens, contributed 700 turkeys to the cause. For Al, the good deed is about more than writing a check.
“I see the person, they smile and say ‘thank you,’ and I know I made an impact on 700 people’s lives this Thanksgiving,” he said.
It’s having an impact on Ka-desha, who said she’s grateful for the chance to feed her family.
“The supermarkets are expensive, even if you’re budgeting. I’m a coupon cutter. I go from spot to spot. I travel, I walk home with groceries to save that carfare,” she said. “It’s still not enough. You’re not going to tell your kid at the end of the day, ‘I don’t have enough,’”
Now, she has enough to have a Happy Thanksgiving.