Thanks to a grant from St. Faith’s House Foundation, the Cabrini Kids from Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, NY were able to help some people who are experiencing homelessness in Peekskill, NY. The packages that were made are being donated to CHOP (Caring for the Homeless and Hungry of Peekskill). There are some veterans who are part of CHOP so our Kids made cards thanking them for their service. In addition to the card, an American flag was also put in their bag.
This Giving Back Program had a very special blessing: Missionary Sisters Sr. John Giani, Sr. Joan Marie Sariti, Sr. Patricia Dunleavy and Sr. Damien Ciminera, joined the children of Grades 1-3 for the program. Each Sister worked with 3 children as they made cards for the veterans and packed bags with facecloths, body wash, deodorant, shaving cream, shampoo, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a pair of socks and a notebook and pen. Another special part of the program was the donation of socks from The Joy of Sox, an organization founded by Tom Costello, husband of Nancy Costello of the Province Communications Office.
The Sisters enjoyed listening to the children and learning about their countries of origin. The children also enjoyed hearing the stories of the Sisters’ great works over the years. Interestingly, all the Sisters had worked with children. One Sister worked with children who were sick in Africa while another Sister worked as a nurse in the United States. They both spoke about how hard it was to see children who were sick. One Sister was a teacher and another Sister had a very unique story to tell. Sr. Patricia said that she worked with cowboys and indians! 
The Dalai Lama said, “When educating the minds of the youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts.” Our Kids learned about the need to help those who are less fortunate but more importantly, their hearts were moved. When asked about how they felt helping those experiencing homelessness, we heard responses like, “It’s a wonderful day because we are helping someone else have a wonderful day.” Another child said, “We should always help other people.”
A special thank you to the Cabrini Sisters and to Tom Costello for all their help in making this another successful program.