So many hungry individuals met us at our first stop during last night’s Soup Run that we ran out of food. This rarely happens. In only 40 minutes, we served 65 delicious meals of chicken, rice and vegetables. The need is great, our guests are returning, they know where to find us and know that we will be there for them on the last Thursday of every month – as we have been for the past 15 years.

We provided socks, underwear, toiletries and shoes and had more requests for underwear, sports bras, a backpack and sneakers than we could fulfill. We promised to return next month with these items.

Some of our dear regular guests – Santos, Donna, Evie and Wendy – spent time talking with us, laughing and hugging. It felt a bit like the old days of the Soup Run – pre-pandemic when we enjoyed serving and connecting with them. But they also warned us that the streets are different now and there are more troubled people in our midst. Just think about how those who are homeless must live every day worrying about food, shelter and safety.

All month long, we gather items and organize for the last Thursday of the month when we serve our guests. It is through the donations of those in the Holy Trinity community and beyond – including supporters and volunteers from across Westchester County, Queens, Long Island, New York City and Connecticut, those of various faiths and friends of friends, who make this important outreach a reality. This month we are grateful to the following supporters:

• Financial Support
  • Minos Samoladas
  • Irene Drivas
  • May Soup Run Sponsor: Katherine Caffentzis
  • Philoptochos of Holy Trinity New Rochelle, NY
• Meals/Utensils/Snacks 
  • Manny Louros
  • Phil & Anastasia Herzegovitch
  • Carol Schiro Greenwald
• Clothing
  • Dr. Lisa Coplit – Underwear
  • Deborah Farone – Underwear
  • Greg Panagos – Socks, Clothing
  • Anastasia Herzegovitch – Shoes
  • Melina Morris and Bombas (https://bombas.com )  – Socks
• Toiletry Kits/Personal Care Items
  • Georgeann Mavrovitis, Loredona Curtis, Alexandra Speres and Maryann Koutsis
• Bags – FreshDirect (freshdirect.com)

With much appreciation, we thank you for your continuing support and participation. If you would like to donate items, please consider the following: new men’s and women’s underwear, T-shirts (sizes LG and XL), women’s underwear, sports bras, size 8 women’s sneakers, size 12 men’s sneakers and backpacks. The next Soup Run is scheduled for June 30, 2022. Please join us. Follow us on Facebook.

Last night’s Soup Run was an overwhelming success. The word is out! Holy Trinity stops have gone through the pipeline. We met many of our old friends at St. Francis Church on 31^st. We were able to feed fifty people there. They were waiting for us, and a line began to form. There were some that would not emerge from their makeshift box houses and blanket bundles, so we went to them. Tara was almost missed as she is so slight in build and totally covered in blankets and cardboard. I introduced myself and asked her name. “I’m Tara. Thanks for asking my name,” she said. We brought her food, and other essentials, and a “most beautiful” sweater. Tara could not have been more than 19 years old.

We saw our old friend Donna. A number of volunteers spent time speaking with her and comforting her. She shared that her 4-year-old granddaughter recently died of COVID. She had a compromised immune system and may have caught it while in a playground. Donna was grateful for the time spent with her and the empathy she felt from the group.

Working with the Midnight Run organization, we had three to five stops to make but made only two as all our goods were distributed in two stops. Our guests were expecting us in both places. We served hot chicken dinners including water and snacks, homemade brownies, and cookies. Lots of essentials like underwear, socks, shoes, sneakers, and toiletries were distributed to those we found on the sidewalks, under boxes or in tents.

We are always met with smiles and prayers to “get home safely” and “God’s blessings.”  They are very protective of us which makes us all think of the irony in their concern. It was cold and windy last night and one below an awning where the wind was less brutal.

We are reminded that we offer and receive more than we imagine. The gift of loving kindness is abundant. The monthly Soup Run is a heartfelt experience for volunteers who want to interact directly with individuals in need.

All month long, we gather items and organize for the last Thursday of the month when we serve our guests. It is through the donations of those in the Holy Trinity community and beyond – including supporters and volunteers from across Westchester County, Queens, Long Island, New York City, Connecticut, and New Jersey, those of various faiths and friends of friends, who make this important outreach a reality. This month we are grateful to the following supporters:

• Financial Support
  • Minos Samoladas
  • Irene Drivas
  • April Soup Run Sponsor: Ariadne Rokkas in memory of Maria Rokkas
  • Philoptochos of Holy Trinity New Rochelle, NY
• Meals/Cookies/Sandwiches 
  • Manny Louros
  • Kathy Papataros
  • Kalliope Primis

• Clothing
  • Ana and Constantine Dimas – Sneakers, Clothing, Backpack
  • Deborah Farone – Women’s Underwear
  • Holy Trinity Knitting for Charity Group; Suzanne Negrin – Hand Knit/Crocheted Hats and Scarves
  • Melina Morris and Bombas (https://bombas.com )  – Socks
• Toiletry Kits/Personal Care Items
  • Georgeann Mavrovitis, Loredona Curtis, Alexandra Speres and Maryann Koutsis
• Bags – FreshDirect (freshdirect.com)

With much appreciation, we thank you for your continuing support and participation. Donations of new men’s and women’s underwear, T-shirts (sizes LG and XL) are always needed. The next Soup Run is scheduled for May 26, 2022. Please join us.

It was a reunion of sorts during last night’s Soup Run. We happily reconnected with guests we have not seen in more than two years – Nate, Santos, Wendy and Keith – and exchanged handshakes and hugs. Some told us “we all survived this”.

Working with the Midnight Run organization, we made three stops in New York City where our guests were expecting us. We served hot chicken dinners, bags of sandwiches including water and snacks, homemade brownies, cookies and fruit. Lots of essentials like underwear, socks, shoes, fleece vests, coats, hats and toiletries were distributed to those we found on the sidewalks, under boxes or in tents. We only had two pairs of jeans, one sleeping bag and one blanket – as you can imagine, those were immediately scooped up.  

One man asked for an extra coat for his sister. Others asked for one of everything we had as they had nothing. Another guest recognized us as the “Thursday night Greek people” and was happy to enjoy our delicious Manny-made meals. Our food is always appreciated and last night was no different. A guest made it a point to tell us we serve the best food on the street.

As we said goodbye, some told us to “get home safely”, making us think about the irony in their concern for our safety as they would spend another night without shelter. Some traveled to one of our locations from a homeless encampment in lower Manhattan so that they could enjoy a hot meal. During a time when New York City is encouraging individuals who are homeless to go into shelters and remove their encampments, it showed us another side of the story as we heard them say they didn’t want to go into shelters and were not sure where they would go.

The monthly Soup Run is a heartfelt experience for volunteers who want to interact directly with individuals in need. Our guests appreciate us, and we learn from them.

All month long, we gather items and organize for the last Thursday of the month when we serve our guests. It is through the donations of those in the Holy Trinity community and beyond – including supporters and volunteers from across Westchester County, Queens, Long Island, New York City, Connecticut and New Jersey, those of various faiths and friends of friends, who make this important outreach a reality. This month we are grateful to the following supporters:

• Financial Support
  • Minos Samoladas
  • Irene Drivas
  • March Soup Run Sponsor: Kathleen Haverlack-Wasser
  • Philoptochos of Holy Trinity New Rochelle, NY
• Meals/Cookies/Sandwiches 
  • Manny Louros
  • Constantine Caviris
  • Kathy Papataros
  • Kalliope Primis
  • St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Wyckoff, NJ

• Clothing
  • T-Shirts – Dr. Lisa Coplit
  • Maria Tatham – Fleece Vests
  • Mary Orfanos – Men’s Underwear
  • Michael Zoulis – Shirts
  • Holy Trinity Knitting for Charity Group; Suzanne Negrin – Hand Knit/Crocheted Hats and Scarves
  • Melina Morris and Bombas (https://bombas.com )  – Socks
• Toiletry Kits/Personal Care Items
  • Georgeann Mavrovitis, Loredona Curtis, Alexandra Speres and Maryann Koutsis
• Bags – FreshDirect (freshdirect.com)

With much appreciation, we thank you for your continuing support and participation. Donations of new men’s and women’s underwear, T-shirts (sizes LG and XL) are always needed.

The next Soup Run is scheduled for April 28, 2022. Please join us.

We served chicken and rice dinners and bags of sandwiches, water and snacks to our guests on the street in New York City during last night’s Soup Run. There was a group camped out at St. Francis, mostly under the scaffolding, sheltering from the impending snowstorm. We also provided coats, hats, scarves, socks, underwear and toiletries. We gave a woman two coats, one that she could wear on top of her existing coat and a second coat to use as a blanket while she slept on the sidewalk. Another woman was happy to receive a red jacket and a matching hand made red hat and scarf!

In speaking with some of the guests that we see every month, Yolanda and Charlene, we asked why they continue to remain on the street. There are so many reasons given – they’ve been kicked out of the hotels that were housing homeless individuals during the height of the pandemic; they are not allowed to stretch out and sleep on the subways; the shelters are not safe; there is no where to go.

We also spoke with Tony, a calm, articulate man who repeatedly thanked us for the food and clothing that we provided. Tony has been without a home for about a year. He is working on securing housing but in the meantime, he walks the streets, gets food where and when he can, and manages to keep a low profile on the subway and ride the trains at night to stay warm. He said that if he is quiet and doesn’t occupy multiple seats, he is allowed to stay on the trains.

Another man who came at the very end as we were packing up accepted our food and other items and then he asked us for a Bible. We agreed to give him one next month.

The monthly Soup Run is a wonderful experience for volunteers who want to interact directly with individuals in need. Our guests appreciate us, and we appreciate what we learn and experience from them.

All month long, we gather items and organize for the last Thursday of the month when we serve our guests. It is through the donations of those in the Holy Trinity community and beyond – including supporters and volunteers from across Westchester County, Queens, Long Island, New York City, Connecticut and New Jersey, those of various faiths and friends of friends, who make this important outreach a reality. This month we are grateful to the following supporters:

• Financial Support
  • Minos Samoladas
  • Irene Drivas
  • February Soup Run Sponsor: Alexis Livanos, Angie Lambros
  • Philoptochos of Holy Trinity New Rochelle, NY
• Meals/Cookies/Sandwiches 
  • Manny Louros
  • Constantine Caviris
  • Kathy Papataros
• Clothing
  • T-Shirts – Dr. Lisa Coplit
  • Holy Trinity Knitting for Charity Group; Suzanne Negrin – Hand Knit/Crocheted Hats and Scarves
  • Suzanne Negrin – Sneakers, Women’s Underwear
  • Melina Morris and Bombas (https://bombas.com )  – Socks
• Toiletry Kits/Personal Care Items
  • Georgeann Mavrovitis, Laurie Curtis, Alexandra Speres and Maryann Koutsis
• Bags – FreshDirect (freshdirect.com)

With much appreciation, we thank you for your continuing support and participation. Donations of new men’s and women’s underwear, T-shirts (sizes LG and XL) are always needed.

The next Soup Run is scheduled for March 31, 2022. Please join us. 

Last night we offered 67 hot meals to guests living on the frigid streets in and around Penn Station. Our friends from St. Nicholas in Wyckoff New Jersey joined us with their Father Gikas, handing out much needed gloves, hats, toiletries, sweat shirts, blankets, handwarmers, socks and underwear. All our guests were grateful for our generosity and prayed that God bless us.

One of our guests approached the table and asked if we had anything for him. He was quickly embraced and given a bag full of essentials and a hot meal. He looked at us and said, “You are mothers. You are all my mother,” with a tear in his eye. We were humbled to have been “mother” for him at that moment.

At the end of our “run”, after giving out our last meal to a man lying in a box, another came to us and asked if we had any food to give. We did not. But the man in the box lifted his head and called out, “Friend. Take mine. I already had a meal.” He also complemented our chef, Manny by saying, “This is the best chicken I’ve ever had. These guys cook good.” It is amazing how God provides even when it seems we have no more to give. So often we are approached after all the food is gone and then, miraculously, a portion is found, or a hungry soul shares his/her meal.

We were concerned about where our friends would be during the storm the following night. Yolanda, who lives on a chair in front of St. Francis, told us they would all move under the scaffolding recently put up beside the church. We asked why they didn’t plan to find an indoor space to go. “We won’t leave St. Francis.” It is their home, and it appeared, according to Yolanda, God provided some sanctuary under the scaffolding.

The monthly Soup Run is an eye-opening, hands-on, compassionate outreach to directly serve those who are most in need. We are blessed with support and generosity from so many. Throughout the month and all year long, we plan, gather items and organize for the day we have set aside to serve our guests. It is through the donations of those in the Holy Trinity community and beyond – including supporters and volunteers from across Westchester County, Queens, Long Island, New York City, those of various faiths and friends of friends, who make this important outreach a reality. This month we are grateful to the following supporters:

• Financial Support
  • Minos Samoladas
  • Irene Drivas
  • January Soup Run Sponsor: Helen Kyriak
  • Philoptochos of Holy Trinity New Rochelle, NY
• Meals/Cookies/Sandwiches 
  • Manny Louros
  • Kalliope Primis “Kalliope Cares”
  • Kathy Papataros
• Clothing
  • T-Shirts – Dr. Lisa Coplit
  • Coats – Joy Zegras
  • Blankets, Gloves and Chapstick (St. Nicholas, Wyckoff, NJ)
  • Hand Knit/Crocheted Hats and Scarves – Holy Trinity Knitting for Charity Group, Suzanne Negrin
  • Melina Morris and Bombas (https://bombas.com )  – Socks
• Toiletry Kits/Personal Care Items
  • Holy Trinity Scouts
  • Fr. Nicolas Kazarian (St. Eleftherios Church NY, NY)
• Bags – FreshDirect (freshdirect.com)

With much appreciation, we thank you for your continuing support and participation. Donations of new men’s and women’s underwear, T-shirts (sizes LG and XL), new sneakers (size 12) and new blankets (e.g., small fleece blankets) are the only items we are currently accepting.

The next Soup Run is scheduled for February 24, 2022. Please join us.