Lending a hand

Parish community comes together to bake 400 apple crumb pies for the needy Warwick - Members of St. Stephen’s Parish came together on Sunday, Nov. 18, to make apple crumb pies that would be part of a Thanksgiving dinner for needy families in the Newburgh area; 400 pies were delivered to Newburgh Ministries. Bakers included parents and students of the Summer Religious Education Camp (REC), members of St. Stephen’s Junior and High School Youth Groups, Confirmation students from seventh and eighth grades and individual members of the parish that wanted to help out. “It was awesome to see so many people working together so carefully to provide these home made treats,” said Mary Juliano, one of the leaders of the Junior Youth Ministry. “It is a win-win situation when people come together like this. We are helping the people of Newburgh Ministries to provide for families in need, yet we derive a wonderful benefit from the experience. Our parish community grows and is strengthened through these types of experiences.” The project was organized by Rachel DiMartino, a local parishioner that also works with the Junior Youth Ministry. Lydia VanDuynhoven, coordinator of Religious Education, said that DiMartino’s time and effort were a key ingredient to the project’s success. “Rachel generously donated her time to make all of the pie dough, and worked along side our other volunteers to show them how to make the delicious pies,” VanDuynhoven said. Newburgh Ministries works year-round to provide food and shelter to some of the neediest members of their community. “People are very generous and are always looking for ways to help out. We are happy to have opportunities such as this to offer children and adults the chance to come together to do something positive,” VanDuynhoven added. “It’s a great lesson for everyone involved. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to this as we have so much to be thankful for in our Community.”