Participating in the check presentation are, from left: John W. Cosgrove, Executive Director, AllOne Charities; Mike Cianciotta, Director, Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen and John Graham, Saint Vincentde Paul Kitchen Advisory Board Member.
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Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen in Wilkes-Barre has been awarded a $25,306 grant from the AllOne Charities Collaborative Philanthropy Fund.
The John and Josephine Thomas Foundation contributed $12,653 that was matched by AllOne Charities to help meet the continuing need for food during the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant will be used to continue offering hot, nutritious meals to individuals and families in need in the greater Wilkes-Barre area on a daily basis.
Throughout the pandemic, Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen has continued to meet the needs of its community, transitioning its traditional sit-down meals to meals served to-go in order to adhere to physical distancing and safety protocols.
“The Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen is on the front-lines of providing consistent and nutritious meals to those of our neighbors who find themselves most in need. As importantly, the kitchen and their volunteers directly represent the compassionate concern of our entire community in service to others. AllOne Charities is pleased to support their invaluable work,” John Cosgrove, Executive Director, AllOne Charities, said.
During the 2020 calendar year, Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen served more than 56,000 meals to the less fortunate of the Wyoming Valley. In addition to providing warm meals daily, kitchen staff has also provided extra food, vegetables and desserts for clients to take home as well.
In addition, the Saint Vincent de Paul Food Pantry assisted more than 4,100 households during the pandemic.
“The grant from AllOne Charities and the John and Josephine Thomas Foundation will have a tremendous impact on making sure all of our neighbors and friends continue to receive a nutritious meal each day,” Mike Cianciotta, Director of Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen, said. “During the pandemic,we have seen many new people looking for help, whether they lost jobs, had their hours reduced or have struggled to get unemployment assistance.”
Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen is a part of Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton. Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen operates every day of the year and is traditionally staffed almost entirely by volunteers.
During the pandemic, dedicated staff members have filled all the necessary roles to make sure all meals are prepared and served with dignity and respect.
“Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen is one of the cornerstones of the mission of Catholic Social Services. The kitchen responds compassionately to the needs of our community on a daily basis. Most importantly in the midst of the pandemic, we have been able to replace despair with hope for many people,” Mary Theresa Malandro, Diocesan Secretary for Catholic Human Services & Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Social Services, said.