REISTERSTOWN, Md. — When Peggy Dryden and Kevin Callahan sit down to their Thanksgiving dinners tonight, they won't take their families for granted. They'll be thinking of the Baltimore families who have lost loved ones to violence.
"You never know when everything can be taken away suddenly, or slowly or in any way. I count myself very lucky," said Kevin Callahan, organist for Sacred Heart Glyndon.
"You just think, if we can just bring a small amount of joy to those families that have suffered this unimaginable loss in their lives, it's a blessing for us to be able to do that," said Peggy Dryden, pastoral associate for Sacred Heart.
Their parish teamed up with the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Grief Ministry Program to provide Thanksgiving meals for 30 families of city homicide victims.
Parishioners donated enough food and money to give each family a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the fix-ins, but they were also able to give gift cards to the families, so they can go out and buy something specific to their own family's traditions, maybe something that reminds them of their loved one.
"Most people want to give back to the community, they just don't know how to do it or what to do. So this gives them an opportunity to just give back. It's an easy way," said Dryden of the parishioners' generosity.
Parish staff then brought the meals either to the Baltimore Police Department, or to Roberta's House, which is a grief support center. They then delivered the dinners directly to the families.
"It means the world to me to be a part of something that's bigger than myself, to give back to families that have gone through unimaginable loss. I can't imagine the grief," said Callahan.
"To be able to share a kindness with someone else, who's circumstances may be different than yours, you never know when you yourself may have unfortunate circumstances," Dryden said. "You may one day be the recipient of that kindness."
While the Archdiocese was focused today on making it a happy holiday for 30 families, the efforts go on all year long. In the last two years, the grief ministry program has helped 365 families who have suffered traumatic losses, by offering care packages, buying groceries, covering funeral expenses and even relocation costs.
