Feeding the Homeless, Cynthia Pinckney Ministries (Thanksgiving 2007) - # - MyPaperNow.com

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By LINDA CHION KENNEY: UPDATED 11-23: More than 850 people were fed at the Fourth Annual Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner, held Nov. 22 at the Boys & Girls Club, Bill Carey Brandon Unit, at 213 N. Knights Ave. Hundreds more volunteered. Last year's dinner fed around 250 people, prompting organizer Cynthia Pinckney of Cynthia Pinckney Ministries to say: "I guess next year we're going to need a stadium." Visit: http://www.cynthiapinckneyministries.org. CLICK ON THE INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EVENT.

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Victor Gutierrez, 16 months, a guest at the Fourth Annual Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner hosted by Cynthia Pinckney Ministries (and a slew of volunteers) at the Boys & Girls Club, Bill Carey Brandon Unit, at 213 N. Knights Ave. "We used to have the car, the house, but now my husband's going through a situation," Victor's mother, Cindy, said. "I'm so thankful for this ministry. I just wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving."

From left, Mark, Nan, Ron and Lloyd at the Fourth Annual Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner at the Boys & Girls Club, the Bill Carey Brandon Unit, off Knights Avenue. "We need some more help for the homeless," Mark said. "The cold is coming on real strong and we're just real glad there were no hurricanes coming through here or we'd be in real bad shape." The homeless, he added, "need some help getting back on their feet, that's the main thing. You get the rug pulled out from under you and it's hard to get back."

Amy Sheffer of Valrio, a sophomore at Hillsborough Community College, with, from left, Joey Kauderman, John Mejia, Paxton Lynch, Jarred Mejia and Joseph Mejia. "I just think it's cool you get to come out and meet new people and have a good time," Amy said. Added Josephy Mejia: "It's a good deed."

Last year, at the Third Annual Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner, Victor Lund talked about his life as a homeless man. This year, his family volunteers at the fourth annual dinner. "A lot of people don't know about us, but my father had a family," said Shannon Lund. "We tried to take him home and we bought him clothes and glasses. He always told us these were his friends out there (living homeless) and that he needed to take care of them. He felt he was their father figure. We still love him and we keep him in our memories and we're all here where he left us, taking care of people who are in need." Pictured, from left: Ricardo Quiroz and his wife, Jessica, Lund's daughter; her sister, Shannon, and her husband, Jamie Quintana; Betty Lund and Shannon's mother-in-law, Nellie Young. In front: Lund's son, Joshua, and his grandchildren Jaedyn Lund and Ricardo Quiroz. Betty Lund holds the youngest grandchild, Ameyla Quiroz.

Ian White, a sixth-grader at St. Stephen Catholic School, penned a school paper in which he likened Cynthia Pinckney, left, to a saint. His paper reads as follows: "Rev. Cynthia Pinckney is the founder of a nonprofit organization that feeds and clothes the area's homeless. She feeds the homeless with meals donated by the church. In past years, the dinners were held under the pavilion at the Brandon Recreation Center on Sadie Street. Last year, the ministry fed more than 250 people who were among an estimated 2,000 homeless people living in woods, abandoned buildings and beneath overpasses in the Brandon area, according to the Hillsborough County Homeless Coalition. Her organization also feeds the homeless on Thanksgiving Day. Modern day Saint Cynthia Pinckney reminds me of Saint Eilsabeth Ann Bailey Seton. Elisabeth Ann Bailey Seton was born Aug. 18, 1774 in New York City. Her feast day is January 4. She is recognized as a saint because of all the work she had done with the homeless. She established orphanages and hospitals all over the United States. Elisabeth converted to the Catholic Church in 1805. Saint Elisabeth Ann Bailey Seton was the first American-born person to be canonized and sainthood was granted by Pope Paul VI and the Catholic Church on September 14, 1975. Rev. Cynthia Pinckney and Saint Elisabth Ann Bailey Seton were both dedicated to helping the poor. Each of these women was honored for what they did for the poor and hungry. I would like to take what they did into my life by helping someone on the street by maybe giving them money for a meal. My family and I are going to feed the homeless this Thanksgiving with Cynthia Pinckney."

A guest leaves with one load of offerings. "I'll be back," he said.

"She's been doing this (helping others) ever since I can remember," said Tasha Grace, center, of her mother, Cynthia Pinckney, right. "I can remember being 5 years old, a man knocking on our door. All he wanted was a glass of water. My mom, she'd go in and fix him a ham sandwich and a turkey sandwich. And then she'd give him a glass of water. It's just her nature, our family's nature." With Tasha is her daughter, Dominique.

Chase Zimmerman, 7, with his mother, Michele. "We thought this would be a great way to share with the rest of the community and let our kids experience reaching out to others in need."

Victor Gutierrez, 16 months, a guest at the Fourth Annual Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner hosted by Cynthia Pinckney Ministries (and a slew of volunteers) at the Boys & Girls Club, Bill Carey Brandon Unit, at 213 N. Knights Ave. "We used to have the car, the house, but now my husband's going through a situation," Victor's mother, Cindy, said. "I'm so thankful for this ministry. I just wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving."

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