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On Sunday of Thanksgiving week (November 24th), the Shrine of St. Joseph the Worker in the heart of downtown Lowell hosted its annual Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. Invited were area folks who are basically homebound or who would otherwise have no opportunity to join with others for the holiday meal. Some 68 guests partook of the festive board. Congregants of St. Joseph’s contributed toward the purchase of the main course turkeys and the dessert offerings; neighboring Lowell High School’s culinary department provided the sides: stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash.

Thanks to Dr. Roxane Howe for supervising this generous effort on the part of students in the Culinary Arts Department of the High School. Volunteers from St. Joe’s as well as youngsters from Lowell Catholic served the meal and helped with the clean-up after the event concluded. This annual dinner is a great collaborative effort involving old and young, rich and poor, religious and secular agents – a celebratory launch of the holiday season and a fitting out reach to the less fortunate among us.