Thanksgiving Basket Program
Each year the Father McKenna Center spearheads an effort to provide a turkey and all the fixings to more than 250 families.
The Father McKenna Center has a tradition of offering members of the Food Pantry a Thanksgiving Basket (a turkey with all the fixings). On the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving we typically distribute 250 or more turkeys and baskets of potatoes, yams, stuffing mix, green beans, corn, muffin mix, cranberry sauce and a dessert.
We rely on several partners to help make this possible. Holy Trinity Parish in Georgetown, Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, St. Bernadette School in Silver Spring and Poor Roberts Mission all pitch in to make those two days one of the highlights of the Food Pantry.
Around Christmas and Thanksgiving he always sent us a basket of food; I wouldn’t have to ask for it because he knew I had a houseful of kids. He would always have those Gonzaga boys knock on my door and give us some food. In fact, he didn’t ask anybody; he just knocked and delivered until the food ran out. That’s the kind of man he was. He didn’t ask whether you needed it or not; he just gave it to you. He’d give you the shirt off his back.
(One of Father McKenna’s neighbor recalling his actions.)