On Monday, Members of Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc, Suffolk-CBNA, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, and the Vivo Group partnered to host a meal distribution at the St. Martin de Porres Outreach Center in Charlotte Amalie.
The event served more than 100 meals at the outreach center and across St. Thomas, with volunteers driving to the eastern and western ends of the island to deliver food. A similar distribution is scheduled for Tuesday on St. Croix at the St. Teresa of Calcutta House of Hope in downtown Christiansted starting at 11:45 a.m.
Lorraine Benjamin-Matthew, a member of the Mu Gamma Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. on St. Croix, emphasized the importance of community partnerships.
“We are here along with our sister chapter on St. Thomas, which is Sigma Theta Omega,” she said, noting the collaboration between the various organizations. She pointed to previous successes as the foundation for the current outreach, adding, “Last month, we had an event in St. Croix for Thanksgiving at Catholic Charities over there at St. Teresa’s House, and that was successful.”
Benjamin-Matthew said the community’s appreciation for the large meal sizes during the Thanksgiving distribution influenced the planning for the Christmas events. “We were known as giving the big plate because, of course, we did a bigger size plate,” she said.
She noted the larger portions meant “they were able to get a little bit more for the holidays.” The initiative aims to both nourish and uplift the local population. “It’s very impactful, and those are the things that we do as an organization. We want to impact the community, especially our community,” she stated. “That’s why we’re here.”
Pointing to the festive garlands and the music playing in the background, she noted the impact of the event’s “Christmas spirit.”
“It’s not all about giving the food, but also when they come, they feel a sense of awareness that they’re part of the Christmas season,” Benjamin-Matthew said. Whether through providing extra food or additional decorations, she said the sorority always strives to go “that extra mile” to help the community.
Alicia Barnes, a member of the Mu Gamma Omega chapter and community outreach coordinator for the Suffolk-CBNA joint venture, highlighted the significance of the event and partnership.
“Suffolk-CBNA has been contracted by the government of the Virgin Islands to rebuild schools on St. Thomas and St. Croix,” she noted. “They were able to provide the funding for us to purchase 100 meals for distribution in St. Thomas/St. John, and another 100 meals for St. Croix.”
Barnes described the event as a tapestry of organizations working toward a common goal. “This is community engagement and outreach. It’s a collaboration between the Suffolk-CBNA joint venture, the Mu Gamma Omega and Sigma Theta Omega chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, which acted as the fiduciary for the food distribution,” she explained.
Catholic Charities hosted the event while the Vivo Group provided transportation and logistics support. “It’s a true community partnership and collaboration,” Barnes added.
The holiday menu was designed to be filling and delicious. “We have chicken, oxtail, which is a treat for many, and salmon. We also have drinks and dessert,” Barnes shared. “We wanted to make it a bit more special for the holiday season.”
Barnes said the mission of the sororities and the other foundations is to reach the community’s most vulnerable members. “We really believe the sororities are of service to all mankind,”
She continued “During this holiday season, we know it could be challenging… we just want to have an opportunity to spread some goodwill, give them a warm holiday meal and let them know that we see them, we hear them, and we care.”
Linique Williams, president of the Sigma Theta Omega chapter, reiterated the sorority’s mission of service. “We are a group of college educated women focused on service and sisterhood… Our sorority focuses on uplifting our local community. We just want to give back to those who have supported us in the past and cater to those in need.”
Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands Executive Director Andrea Shillingford expressed gratitude for the collective effort, noting that such partnerships bolster the organization’s daily work. On a typical day, the nonprofit serves between 65 and 100 clients at this outreach center, while also reaching out to the homebound and elderly with their delivery service.
Shillingford emphasized that this outreach is a direct extension of the organization’s faith-based mission. “Christ has called us to serve the less fortunate. We are here to feed them, clothe them, and house them,” she said.
Peter Gasparini, executive vice president for project controls at the Suffolk-CBNA joint venture, said the company views community outreach as inseparable from its rebuilding work in the territory.
“Suffolk and CBNA came here to the Virgin Islands as part of the rebuild USVI program. So we’re here to rebuild the schools that have been damaged since the back-to-back hurricanes in 2017, so our entire mission here is to help rebuild the community,” he said. “We know that rebuilding the community isn’t isolated to just the construction side of it. It’s helping wherever we can… it’s important for us to let the Virgin Islanders know that we’re here to serve them, and not just to come in and build a few buildings, but to serve the community in any way that we can.”
