The Center will be closed Nov. 23 - 30. Those who have signed up for Thanksgiving "baskets" here at St. Francis de Sales will receive several bags of food for their Thanksgiving meal AND for many other family meals that whole week. Our Thanksgiving "baskets" can be so generous and bountiful because of the many parishioners and others in the Holland Catholic community who generously and graciously support this ministry. For this we give thanks. As Paul says in one of his letters, "we give thanks to God whenever we think of you (our donors)". Our donors are those of you who faithfully bring food when you come to Mass as well as those who send in checks supporting this ministry - and the students at Corpus Christi School who brought us practically a whole school busload of food yesterday - and the TAG group here at St. Francis who helped with all the sorting of beans, corn, juices, peanut butter, cereal, fruit, pasta, etc. last night. Then there are all the adults who have been out shopping for more food all month; in part they've been using the debit cards we got from Meijer with the autumn Simply Give program - so thanks to all of you who participated in that. The Knights of Columbus are also a part of this in donating cooking oil, sugar, flour and the turkeys and then also delivering all of this to us here at St. Francis. Then last but not least are Yolanda and Maria who gave of their time every Tuesday and Thursday in the month of October doing all of the intake necessary for applying for these "baskets" and also for the Christmas gifts for their children. And then there are also the many volunteers of all ages who gather this Sunday, Nov. 24 to pack the bags and then on Monday to distribute them to the families who come to us the people/the Church. In this, as in many other ministries, we are the individual faces, hands, and hearts of Christ mutually giving and receiving from each other. Smiles are shared, stories are and have been shared - not just food as we walk together in discipleship and community. THANKS TO EACH OF YOU WHO IS PART OF THIS JOURNEY OF FAITH. THANKS TO EACH OF YOU WHO ALSO SUPPORT THIS MINISTRY THROUGH YOUR MANY PRAYERS. AGAIN "WE GIVE THANKS WHENEVER WE THINK OF YOU." 

THANKS TO EACH OF YOU WHO IS PART OF OUTREACH MINISTRY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR IN SO MANY WAYS. 

May each of you have a blessed Thanksgiving celebrating the gifts we've been given to share and the gifts that we are to each other.