By Ronnie And Ed Dobrowolski for the Social Action Ministry

We had another successful Loaves and Fishes outreach program in 2025. We fed many individuals at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, also known as St Mary’s Cathedral in Trenton. Thank you to all the Loaves and Fishes volunteers.

Here’s a breakdown of what it took to implement this program:

• Eleven volunteers and their families baked two dozen brownies and delivered them to UUCWC.

• Nineteen volunteers made more than 250 PB&J sandwiches and assembled 250 lunch bags, which included a sandwich, a juice box, a banana or a clementine, and cookies.

• We started at 6 p.m. and had the kitchen cleaned and the Crossings Room set up and ready for Fellowship Hour on Sunday morning by 7:45 p.m.

• More than ten volunteers from UUCWC, another ten from the UU Congregation in Princeton, several students from the Hun School, and Princeton University, a charter school group and their principal, as well as a Coptic Church group from Medford which included adults and children, came to St. Mary’s Cathedral in Trenton and served about 250 guests their lunch.

• UUCWC and the UU Congregation of Princeton provided hot meals of southwest chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, carrots and celery with ranch dressing, a roll with butter, and UUCWC’s brownies with ice cream for dessert.

• All Loaves and Fishes guests were also given a takeaway bag that included the bagged lunches, a southwest chicken meal, rolls, and bagels.

These are more than just numbers; they represent food that will fill an empty stomach or a volunteer who took time and energy to help someone in need.

The Loaves and Fishes team and many guests raved about the delicious Southwest chicken made by our Food Ministry. In addition, there were the logistics of purchasing and transporting all food and supplies, such as paper plates and cups. Volunteers purchased the items at several stores and transported them either to UUCWC or St. Mary’s. Boxes of bagged lunches made on Friday were transported to St. Mary’s from UUWC.

A special thank you goes to Mike Muccioli, Jackie Thomas, and the Food Ministry team for buying and preparing 120 pounds of chicken for Saturday’s Loaves and Fishes meal.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered to make this combined Food Ministry and Social Action outreach program successful. Finally, thanks to the UUCWC congregation for contributing to the plate each Sunday. These contributions enable us to continue this outreach program.