1,300 local families to get free holiday meal

An annual holiday effort by the Marian House and Safeway will provide 1,300 meals to homeless and needy families in the Colorado Springs area.

On Monday, Safeway delivered some of the turkey breasts and side dishes to be distributed by the Marian House, a soup kitchen operated by Catholic Charities.

Some of the food will be delivered while the rest will be served during a Thanksgiving Day dinner at the Marian House.

Among the recipients is a family that evacuated from Hurricane Michael in the Florida panhandle last month.
“We have six in our family,” said Karuchy Sierra. “We lost one of our family members, my 1-year-old granddaughter. A Thanksgiving meal means the world to us. We lost our home in the hurricane. Normally, we have our whole family together but we don’t have that right now. So we’re especially thankful.”

Andy Barton, of Catholic Charities, said the need from those less fortunate hasn’t decreased.

“We’re helping between 5,200 and 6,000 people who wouldn’t otherwise have a holiday meal,” he said. “There are a lot of folks in need.”

Some of the food was financed by donations from Safeway customers.

Barton said part of the food donations will be used for Christmas, as well.

This is the sixth year for the event.