Council Serves Thousands Through Meals at Hall and Dinners Delivered to Homes

Contact: Andrew Walther, 203-824-5412, andrew.walther@kofc.org; Matthew St. John, 203-584-6129, matthew.stjohn@kofc.org; both with Knights of Columbus

SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 8, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Knights of Columbus Fairview Council 4044 in Chicopee, Mass., was honored for its extraordinary community activities that have become a Thanksgiving Day tradition.

The council was awarded the 2013 International Community Activity Award at the 131st annual international convention of the Knights of Columbus held in San Antonio this week.

For 22 years, members of the council have led an effort to make Thanksgiving a happy occasion for as many people as possible by providing thousands of holiday dinners.

"Last fall, I saw this good work firsthand," said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson in his report to the convention.

He said members of the council and additional volunteers together fed more than 3,500 people last year. Most were fed at the council home, where they received a full Thanksgiving dinner in a restaurant-like atmosphere.

Meals were also given to area facilities -- such as Kate's Kitchen in Holyoke, and the Boys and Girls Club in Chicopee -- and hundreds more were delivered to the homebound. Two hundred Council 4044 members contributed more than 1,000 hours of volunteer service in support of the project in 2012. 

"Everyone was welcome and so many came," said Anderson. "There were old and young, individuals and families, the poor and the lonely -- anyone who needed a place to go on Thanksgiving."

The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by Father Michael McGivney, a parish priest in New Haven, Conn. With charity as its central commitment, the organization has grown to 1.8 million members worldwide. During the past year, Knights donated more than $167.5 million and more than 70 million hours of service to charitable causes.