Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands and St. Mary’s Episcopal Church parishioners Distributed 200 turkeys and grocery gift cards for Thanksgiving
It’s been 13 years since St. Mary’s began partnering with CACCI to make sure CACCI’s clients and others in need were provided a turkey and all the fixings for their Thanksgiving dinner. And for 13 years, Judy Walden Scarafile has spearheaded this effort.
Donations have come from St. Mary’s Church as well as its parishioners in many forms. Some choose to volunteer their time preparing for the big day when turkeys and fixings are distributed, and/or assist with the distribution of these turkeys on the weekend before Thanksgiving. In addition, these parishioners have individually donated money, gift cards, turkeys and more.
Judy Walden Scarafile is the master fund raiser who often reaches beyond the St. Mary’s family to other community partners and organizations who share the same mission of helping those in need. This is the second year CACCI has been fortunate to receive a generous donation of $10,000 from the Yawkey Foundation to help fund its Thanksgiving program and its Make a Teen Happy Program which provides gifts cards to families struggling to make ends meet to purchase winter clothing and warm items for their teens. For nearly a decade, community partner Bob Burns has donated 200 turkeys each year believing that no one on Thanksgiving should be without a turkey; and community partner Alan Davis of Cape Cod Creamery, annually donates quarts of ice cream to those families picking up their turkeys.
In addition, Mike Lyons of Ben & Jerry’s has invited CACCI to use his walk-ins to store the frozen turkeys until distribution day; the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, Barnstable Fire Department, Advanced Embroidery, The Daily Paper, and Sturgis Charter Schools have also made valuable contributions to this effort.
“Together, St. Mary’s and CACCI make an amazing team”, Kristina Dower, Executive Director of Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands said emphatically. “Watching Judy in action and witnessing what she is able to deliver, one can really appreciate what a person who is driven to helping others can accomplish in a short period of time. We are so very fortunate to have her on our team!”