Negaunee St. Vincent de Paul assembles Christmas baskets for the community

The U.P. Catholic

A highlight of the Christmas season is the increase in the spirit of giving and helping those in need. The St. Vincent de Paul Society is one such organization that embraces the charitable spirit by assembling Christmas baskets that include various items for those in the community who are in need.

Volunteers gathered at the United Steel Workers Union Hall in Negaunee on Dec. 18, 2023, to assemble the boxes, and they were delivered to the recipients the following day.

Negaunee St. Vincent de Paul’s president Steve Perucco shared that St. Vincent de Paul has been putting together the Christmas baskets for about 35 years. Each of the baskets contained enough food for the Christmas holiday, with food items such as cereal, milk, butter, bread, vegetables, fresh fruit, cookies, and a bag of potatoes inside. Families with three or more people received turkeys in their baskets, while those with less people received hams.

Any families with children received toys and clothing in addition to the food. “When they filled out the paperwork to get these baskets, they were asked the age and size of their kids along with any preferences the kids have,” Perucco explained. Faith formation classes made blankets for infants and each family got a Christmas card made by the classes.

Perucco estimated that about 20 volunteers were present on the day of the setup as well as the day the baskets were handed out. “Not all of the volunteers were members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and not all of them were Catholic,” he said. “We receive tremendous support from our community.” St. Vincent de Paul typically begins preparing for the basket assembly event as early as September. “[In 2023] we gave out 47 baskets. We fed 128 people and gave gifts to 46 children,” Perucco added.

Perucco said about the impact that the baskets have on those who receive them, “You see the impact in the tears of joy in the faces of the people we help and knowing that some of the people we helped in the past are now helping us put this together.”

For more information on the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the Upper Peninsula, visit www.svdpup.org.

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