To celebrate the season of giving, the youth group of St. Theresa Church in Trumbull sponsored a pasta dinner and blanket service project last Saturday evening to benefit the Center for Family Justice. Over 100 members of the parish joined in fellowship to support the Binky Patrol, an organization that provides blankets to ill and traumatized children in the greater Bridgeport area.
St. Theresa Apostolic Youth (STAY), a recipient of a JPII Fund grant, sold tickets to the event, served dinner, led parishioners in a round of Christmas carols, and joined with them to make 50 fleece blankets to distribute before the holidays.
“It’s wonderful to see all these young people working together,” said Fr. Flavian Bejan, associate pastor at St. Theresa and the coordinator for STAY. “What they are doing shows this really is the season of giving. They are here to serve.”
As parishioners young and old bonded through this work of mercy, the sense of community and service was not lost on the teens who orchestrated the efforts, including STAY member Isabella Pucci. “This is so good for the community. It’s always a good thing to get together and help people,” she said, tying knots at the edge of a blanket patterned with footballs.Samuel Miller, another STAY teen who worked alongside his friends and Fr. Flavian, added, “This is so cool. It’s nice to know that we are making these and that they’re going to children who really need them.”
Those children and their families, survivors of domestic violence and abuse, will receive the blankets in time for Christmas.
