Saint Sabina parishioners, volunteers deliver Christmas dinner, toys to sheltered families
CHICAGO (CBS) — Parishioners and volunteers at Saint Sabina Church spent Christmas Day ensuring everyone had a festive holiday.
Members of the church delivered Christmas dinners and toys to families in shelters across the city.
In the basement of Saint Sabina Church, 70 volunteers gave up their time on Christmas day to help others in need. Teauria brown is one of them.
"It's a joy to volunteer. It's a privilege, and you never know how you're going to affect someone's life," she said. "When you smile at them, and you give to them, it makes a difference."
Seven years ago, the church made it a mission to ensure that shelter residents had a home-cooked meal. They delivered meals, toys, and gift cards for 234 single mothers to 12 shelters across the South Side.
"Our job is to serve the community," Father Michael Pfleger said. "That's what churches are called to be doing, but the second thing is people in the shelter feel forgotten. They feel discarded, and we want them to have a Christmas, too."
Father Pfleger takes pride in helping the community on the holiday. He said the church spent $30,000 on six local Black caterers so they could feed 1,400 people. While he said that's a lot of money, he sees it as investing in the community.
"We don't mind spending the money to help people and we don't mind to feed them. We also don't mind spending the money to help the caters and to help their businesses in this difficult time," he said.
While one group worked on boxing up the food, others bagged toys for 450 kids.
"For children, toys and things, we grow up, and we grew up receiving toys. Kids need to have something to love," said Dr. Regina Allen-Wilson, director of hospitality ministry.
Dr. Allen-Wilson said she's volunteered each year and never gives it a second thought to give back on Christmas.
"It's about Christ. I called it "Christ"-mas because giving back, it's not just about the toys, but for the children and the families and the shelters, it means a lot for them to know that they are loved and that we love them," she said.
