De La Salle Boys Soccer Team Helps Local Charities Feed Hundreds of Families
CONCORD, CA (Dec. 15, 2023) — On Saturday, December 9, the Knights of Columbus from St. Isidore Church in Danville, St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County (SVdP), and the De la Salle Boys Soccer Team joined hands to provide over 40,000 lb. in holiday meals to families in need.
The Knights of Columbus Council 4060 at St. Isidore Church in Danville generously donated and packed over 500 meal kits for families of 8. The kits included all the fixings for a delicious holiday meal. They even included a 20 lb. turkey with every kit.
Fr. Matthew Murray, pastor of St. Isidore Church, blessed each meal, with the hopes that the food would fill empty bellies, and help heal people who need a little kindness this holiday season.
“If it wasn’t for the De La Salle Soccer Team, I don’t think we would’ve been able to distribute all of this food,” SVdP Representative Stephen Krank said. “Those young men made sure a lot of people will be able to celebrate the holidays with a full table and full bellies. It’s a wonderful thing they did. At SVdP, we’ll always be grateful to the Knights of Columbus and the De La Salle community for caring about their neighbors in need”
Volunteers loaded the meal kits into the SVdP delivery van. Next they delivered the kits to families and organizations across Contra Costa County. The meal kits arrived at SVdP Conferences in Richmond, El Cerrito, and San Pablo. The also went to Ariel Ministries in Oakland and St. Joseph the Worker in Berkeley.
Family and community
“The holidays are about family and community,” Krank said. “And it just warms my heart to see so many people treat people in need like their family. There are a lot of people in need in the Bay Area, and by working together we can not only make a difference, we can make lasting change.”
St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County has provided safety-net services in the county for over 59 years. It serves 100,000 people annually and distributes over $1.9 million in direct financial assistance. They also provide over $3 million of in-kind aid. More than 700 SVdP volunteers and a small staff lead operations in Contra Costa. This includes the SVdP Family Resource Center in Pittsburg, 28 branches, and 3 Thrift Stores. One of the largest charitable organizations in the world, St. Vincent de Paul is an international, nonprofit, Catholic lay organization of more than 900,000 men and women who voluntarily join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to the needy and suffering in 155 countries on five continents.