Staff and volunteers from the Ladies of Charity in Knoxville on Dec. 22 distributed 63 Christmas food baskets from their Baxter Avenue location to families in need.
Forty of the baskets were offered for distribution to the Ladies of Charity by Knox County’s Community Action Committee and the Knoxville News Sentinel Empty Stocking Fund. The Ladies of Charity offered an additional 23 of their own baskets to meet the demand.
Susan Unbehaun, executive director of the Ladies of Charity, said families in need were identified through the Diocese of Knoxville’s Office of Hispanic Ministry.
“During this season when families come together, especially during the hard times that our Hispanic community is facing, this was a wonderful opportunity to make the Christmas celebration a concrete way to share the love of the Christ Child with many families in our diocese,” said Blanca Primm, director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese of Knoxville.
“We are very appreciative to the Ladies of Charity, the Knox County Community Action Council, and the Knoxville News Sentinel for making these baskets available. They have gone to families in parishes across our diocese, not just the Knoxville area. It was a great gesture of kindness.”
“This was an opportunity to work with the diocese and identify some families that did not know about the Empty Stocking Fund. This is kind of a stepping stone that maybe next year we can sign up families ahead of time that are in need,” Ms. Unbehaun said.
The Christmas food baskets contained “everything from spaghetti, rice, beans, canned items, potatoes, carrots, onions, a whole turkey or a hen, and everything to make Christmas dinner and dessert,” Ms. Unbehaun added.
