Caring for Friends blossomed out of the kindness of one woman’s heart and her mission to feed those in need and provide a personal connection to those who were isolated. In 1974, Rita Ungaro-Schiavone founded “Aid for Friends,” her program of providing food and friendship, in her home in Northeast Philly by providing home cooked meals to homebound people. Her philosophy was “no one should be hungry or alone in a world of caring people.” The concept was simple: Set a place at your table for an “unknown guest.” When you and your family sat down to dinner, put out a meal tray to fill for someone in need. Learn more about the parent organization: https://caringforfriends.org/

At Corpus Christi, realizing that we had neighbors in need, partnered with CFF in Northeast Philadelphia to form a satellite “Caring for Friends” program to provide meals to homebound client friends our own parish and the surrounding areas. We were lucky enough to have parishioners donate a couple of freezers they no longer needed in order to store the meals, lucky to have people here who liked to cook and made sure those freezers stayed full, and even luckier to have H.O.P.E volunteer visitors to take those meals to those in need on a regular basis and provide that critical one-on-one personal connection. This past year, the number of clients we serve in our area has jumped significantly. If you like to cook, this is one of the most enjoyable, and fulfilling ministries in which you can take part from the comfort of your own home!

How can you get involved?

You can help provide home cooked meals to our neighbors in need! Meal tins and lids are provided in the Church Narthex and in the Convent garage, with detailed instructions for providing nutritious meals so that we can continue to meet the growing needs of the homebound in our parish and the surrounding community.

More information

• Barb and Fred MacIntosh
• 215.256.1161
• bmac31@verizon.net