Food donations, volunteers make Thanksgiving work at Father Carr’s Place 2B

Hundreds will be served in person or with home-delivered meals when Father Carr’s Place 2B in Oshkosh holds its annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner Program on Nov. 23.

It doesn’t happen through osmosis. It takes a mountain of food and a spirited squad of volunteers – those who prepare and serve the dine-in meals and those who deliver meals, ordered in advance, to the homebound or to those who cannot prepare a meal for their families that day.

Jim Boehm, executive director of the center, emailed to say that the biggest needs for food donations are turkeys, frozen corn, instant potatoes, canned fruit and butter.

But that isn’t the least of it. Pumpkin pie is the dessert of the day, of course, and here is the list of “Pumpkin pie needs”: 100 lbs. of flour; (20) 3-pound cans of shortening; 40 lbs. of sugar; 20 dozen eggs; (110) 15 oz. cans of pumpkin; (110) 12 oz. cans of evaporated milk; and – are you ready for this? – (300) 9-inch disposable pie pans.

They are accepting orders now for home delivery of meals, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, on Thanksgiving. Call 920-231-2378 to order. Also call if you can volunteer to help in any way for at least a few hours. No reservations are necessary if you plan to come there to eat a dine-in dinner that day in the Saint Mother Teresa Center. Dine-in meals will be served from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Father Carr’s Place 2B is at 1062 N. Koeller St. For more information, visit fathercarrs.org.

Here are the upcoming Oshkosh area church and religious events:

• Pianist Eli Kalman, who has had a busy couple of music weeks, will be the featured artist in this week’s noon concert at First Tuesdays at First Congregational Church, 137 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh. His 37-minute program, Mostly Bach, will feature “Preludes and Fugues in C and in C minor” from the Well-Tempered Clavier, and the “French Suite in E.” Also featured will be 12 miniatures – short song stories – by contemporary “50ish composer” Lera Auerbach. Kalman has recorded a CD of the Auerbach program. We are told that Auerbach’s work “is as close to Bach as you can get.” Kalman recently performed the Grieg Piano Concerto with the UWO/Oshkosh symphony, and did a full recital with cellist Parry Karp.After Tuesday’s program there will be a luncheon in Fellowship Hall featuring homemade soups and breads, salad, dessert, coffee and punch. A donation of $8 per person is suggested for the lunch, prepared and served by volunteers. There is ample parking and the church is handicap-accessible.

• A service of the Traveling Rosary for Vocations will be held on Wednesday, from 1 to 2 p.m., at the Sacred Heart Church site of St. Jude Parish, 519 Knapp St., Oshkosh. It will include music, recitation of the rosary, a talk by Father Louis Golamari, and a reception. The traveling rosary services are sponsored by the Barb Kimme Memorial of the Green Bay Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. For more information, call 920-323-3243.

• The Sisters of Franciscan Courts in Oshkosh will have a Fall Craft Fair on Nov. 11 and 12 after Masses at St. Raphael Church, 830 S. Westhaven Drive. If you have crafts you would like to donate to sell, contact Irene at 920-426-2440.

• You can help Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh families have a good Thanksgiving Day by paying for a prepared meal for them. Through the support of donors and friends of the club, prepared meals will be purchased for families in need. The meal prices are: Small Dinner, $46, to serve approximately 2-3; Medium Dinner, $80, to serve approximately 4-5; and Large Dinner, $130, to serve approximately 8-10. If you are interested in purchasing a meal for a family, contact club CEO Tracy Ogden by Nov. 15. The club will coordinate the delivery of meals to the families.

• The Community Blood Center will have a blood drive on Nov. 14 at St. Jude Parish in Oshkosh. Hours will be 2 to 4:30 p.m. in Leannah Hall at the Sacred Heart site, 519 Knapp St. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are preferred. Visit donate.communityblood.org to reserve a time, or call Rob at the parish office, 920-235-7412.

• Most Blessed Sacrament Parish of Oshkosh will hold its Annual Parish Meeting this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the church at the St. Peter site, 435 High Ave. Copies of the Annual Report are available at the entrances of both worship sites. The meeting is open to the public.

• Candace Bahr, former addiction and recovery counselor, is the next scheduled speaker in the Jesuit Retreat House series of fall and winter programs. Bahr will give a presentation on “The 12 Steps for Everyone: An Introduction to the 12 steps, especially for non-12 steppers.” Bahr is current resident volunteer at St. Anthony Spirituality Center, and guest director of 12-step retreats at the Jesuit Retreat House. Her presentation is 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the retreat house on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh. A freewill offering is accepted and an RSVP is appreciated. Call 920-231-9060.

• Each year, during EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, St. Jude Parish tithes 10% of its profits from a food booth it operates on the grounds to some charitable cause. This year, food booth co-chairs Patrick Wilson and Jeff Paulick presented a donation check of $6,361.92 to Catholic Cemeteries of Oshkosh.

Thought for the Day: “When a poor person dies of hunger it happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.” — Saint Teresa of Calcutta

Judy Russell of Oshkosh writes about happenings at area centers of worship. To submit news for her consideration, email oshkoshsubmit@thenorthwestern.com with the subject “Church news.” Deadline is 5 p.m. Mondays.

Miss Judy's column last week? Celebrate life, not death, with Dia de Muertos remembrance altars

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Food donations, volunteers make Thanksgiving work at Father Carr’s