KENT—Christmas season special items from the Sacred Heart Church’s “giving tree” were delivered to the Kent Food Bank on Monday afternoon, Dec. 9, by Rev. Peter Buczek and parish secretary, Sandy Papsin. Sacred Heart, in Kent, is part of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, which also includes Saint Bernard Church in Sharon and Saint Bridget Church in Cornwall Bridge.
Town of Kent Social Services Director Samantha Hasenflue was on hand to accept the donations and was grateful for the generosity from Sacred Heart.
The Giving Tree is a long-standing tradition at the catholic church. Papsin has worked closely with several organizations over the years and with Kent Social Services for the last two decades to ensure that needy families in Kent all have some special treats during the holiday season.
Throughout the year, parishioners regularly donate non-perishable food items, cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items to the food bank. This outreach is essential in assisting those Kent residents in need be it on a short- or long-term basis.
The program began almost 30 years ago as the project of one of the students in the confirmation program. It was originally known as “FORGE” (Feed Others Regularly, Generously and Effectively). Tens of thousands of items have been donated since then and have assisted countless families and individuals.
On the Feast of Christ the King, five weeks before Christmas, parishioners select “request” tags from the Giving Tree located in the church and then fulfill the request. This year, the food bank had three requests: instant hot chocolate, Christmas candy and tins of cookies. Parishioners donated more than was requested.
