Holiday Collection Drive for Rikers Island
This past Christmas, Fr. Zach and our three Jesuit scholastics visited Rikers Island to celebrate the Christmas holiday with our brothers and sisters behind the walls right here in New York City. Thanks to the hard work of our many community and faith partners, the Thrive For Life team delivered a major haul of care package items including 1000s of white socks, undergarments, and t-shirts to folks spending the holiday season away from their families. The supply drive was made possible through the generosity of members of Regis and Xavier high schools and the churches of St. Francis Xavier in Manhattan and St. Pius X in Scarsdale. People behind the walls also received 100s of handwritten Christmas cards sharing messages of season’s tidings and greetings. In addition, Monica—one of Thrive’s very own volunteers—provided over 30+ hand-knit blankets for women in the nurseries behind the walls at Taconic and Bedford Hills.
Reflecting on the experience, Luke Lapean—a Jesuit scholastic at Ciszek Hall—remarked:
“This was a great opportunity to see God in everyday life. What we were doing would not have appeared extraordinary to most people, but the impact that was visible on many faces was obvious. In the midst of the darkness and stress that are so often present in Rikers this was a chance for normalcy. T-shirts, socks, and underwear are punchlines when it comes to stocking-stuffers, but for the men who we are accompanying they were anything but.”
Thrive For Life extends a special thanks again to the members of Regis High School, Xavier High School, St. Francis Xavier Church, St. Pius X Church, and Monica for their generosity and hard work that helped make this year’s care package haul a success. We are grateful as well for the love and support of Fr. Freddy Cintron and Sr. Margaret McCabe who serve alongside Fr. Zach as Catholic Chaplains at Rikers Island.
If you or your organization would like to organize a collection drive, please visit our website at www.thriveforlife.org/latest/call-to-action-organize-a-holiday-care-package-drive.
