To the Editor:

St. Peter’s Outreach Ministry extends our heartfelt thanks to the entire community for support of our 2024 Christmas Program. Your generosity enabled us to provide food to 356 families and gifts to 484 children ensuring a brighter holiday for those in need.

Thanks to all those who donated financial support and purchased gifts for the children. We are so grateful to those who volunteered their time to pack food boxes and assist with our distribution. Thank you to Dollar Tree for the donation of toys. And we are most grateful to McDonald’s for their donation of hundreds of boxes. Our food boxes literally would be impossible without their generosity.

We thank the parishioners of St. Peter’s Parish and the Massena Central School District Teachers who purchased gifts; Arconic for their Action Grant donation and their team of volunteers – Lynn Crump, Naresh Singh, Cherilyn Prentice, Heather Cockayne and her daughter Madison, Patrick and Evelyn Barube, Alson and Ellie Caswell - who assisted in packing food boxes; the Knights of Columbus, IBEW, USW Local 420A, Massena Fire Department, American Legion, Marine Corps League Auxiliary, Laborer’s Local #1822,  AmVets Post #4, Massena Savings and Loan, Edmund Zysik DDS, Yelle Realty, Stubbs Printing, Johnson’s H2O, East Orvis Street Liquors, Toddler Town Day Care, SeaComm FCU, Corner Convenience Store & More, Twin Rivers Credit Union, Hoot Owl Apartments, Bear’s Den Charitable Foundation, Mark Bogden CPA, Scott & Leslie Loran Rentals, Trego Realty, Dufresne Real Estate, Rochester Regional Health, Arconic, Liberty Utilities, and Vanguard for their financial assistance.

We are most grateful to those who responded to our Christmas Letter with donations, offers to volunteer and prayers. Every donation enabled us to make Christmas merrier for so many in our community. Your generosity was remarkable and most appreciated.

Our gratitude is extended to Border Patrol Agents Sean Fay, Andrew Lawall, and Jonathan Curran, retired Border Patrol Agent Mike Boyea, retired Corrections Officer Matt Beard, and State Trooper Marc Plante for assistance with deliveries for families without transportation.  We thank Pizza Hut and Subway for providing food for our volunteers as well as Alex’s Ice House for help with food storage. Without the efforts of the cart pushers - Doug Premo, Larry French, Perry French, Dave Gerace, Jeff Slack, Pat Henrie, Steve O’Shaugnessy, Dave Gagne, Jim Dufresne, Vance Fleury, and Pete Thomas - who brought food and gifts to the vehicles of families picking up their Christmas Assistance food and gifts, our program wouldn’t have run as smoothly as it did.  

St. Peter’s Outreach Ministry’s 2024 Christmas Assistance Program was successful because of all those who gave so selflessly of their time, talent, and treasure. May God bless you all in 2025 and beyond.                    

Kitty Samuel, Elaine LaPage, Carole Toomey, Beverly Robinson, and Marylou Francia
Christmas Program Chairs
On behalf of all the members and benefactors of St. Peters Outreach Ministry