Elms, St. Stanislaus to Recognize Memorial Day for Homeless Persons

CHICOPEE — The Elms College School of Nursing, in collaboration with the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Sunday Sandwich Ministry, will hold a memorial service and dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 21 to honor homeless persons who have passed away in 2016 in Chicopee. The public is invited to join in remembrance.

The memorial will be held at 4:30 p.m. at Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen & Pantry, 170 Pendexter Ave., Chicopee, and will be followed by a dinner service at 5 p.m. Food-pantry donations of non-perishable food items or money may be made at the event. The memorial program will be held outside, so attendees should dress accordingly. The meal will be held inside the soup kitchen.

For 26 years, on or near the first day of winter and the longest night of the year, the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has advocated this national day of memory to bring attention to the tragedy of homelessness and to remember friends who have lost their lives to homelessness.

Participants in the memorial program will include Chicopee Mayor Richard Kos; Sr. Mary Reap, president of Elms College; Dr. Kathleen Scoble, dean of the School of Nursing at Elms College; Rev. Joseph Benicewicz, pastor of St. Stanislaus; Br. Michael Duffy of the School of Nursing at Elms College; and Andréa Marion, executive director of Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and Pantry.

The Basilica of St. Stanislaus Sandwich Ministry distributes food and clothing to people who are homeless or facing financial challenges in Chicopee each Sunday.

Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen & Pantry Inc. is a nonprofit organization serving the hungry and disadvantaged in the Greater Chicopee community. Lorraine’s serves an average of 100 meals each evening and approximately 500 families a month through the pantry.

Elms College School of Nursing operates the caRe vaN, providing free healthcare to the homeless and underserved of Chicopee and Holyoke.