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Sister Judy O\u2019Brien, I.H.M., new President and CEO of Friends of the Poor and Catherine McAuley Center, speaks at a press conference at Cooper\u2019s Seafood House on Oct. 7, 2026. Standing next to her is Linda Robeson, Director of the Family to Family Thanksgiving Food Basket Program. (Photo\/Eric Deabill)<\/p>\n
SCRANTON \u2013 For Sister Judy O\u2019Brien, I.H.M., leading this year\u2019s Thanksgiving Community Program is more than a responsibility.<\/p>\n
It is a full-circle moment.<\/p>\n
Five decades ago, Sister Adrian Barrett, I.H.M., founded what would become a significant program of Friends of the Poor and Catherine McAuley Center, inviting people who had nowhere to go to a Thanksgiving meal.<\/p>\n
This year, Sister Judy \u2013 a longtime friend of Sister Adrian and the newly appointed President and CEO of Friends of the Poor and Catherine McAuley Center \u2013 will help carry the tradition forward as the program celebrates its 50th anniversary.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I am walking in the shoes of Sister Adrian Barrett,\u201d Sister Judy said during an Oct. 8 press conference at Cooper\u2019s Seafood House in Scranton. \u201cThere were 34 people at that first event. Today, this season, we will feed 4,000 people in her name and in the name of all those people who have walked with Friends of the Poor and Catherine McAuley over these years.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s milestone comes at a time when the need, and the cost of meeting it, continues to grow.<\/p>\n
Linda Robeson, Director of the Family to Family Thanksgiving Food Basket Program, said the organization hopes to provide Thanksgiving food baskets to approximately 3,500 local families this year. But the rising cost of food has made that goal more difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurkeys, this year, unfortunately have gone up over $1 a pound,\u201d Robeson said.<\/p>\n
Family to Family, which is marking its 40th year, has provided food to more than 1.5 million people over the course of its history. The Thanksgiving program alone has cost approximately $120,000 in recent years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to give a nice size turkey,\u201d Robeson explained. \u201cWe want them to have leftovers. It\u2019s a hard market, believe it or not, to find the right size price range when you\u2019re buying turkeys a year in advance.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Thanksgiving Community Program will begin with an interfaith prayer service on Friday, Nov. 13 at Temple Hesed, 1 Knox Road, Scranton. The Thanksgiving Community Dinner will follow on Nov. 24 at the Scranton Cultural Center, 420 North Washington Avenue, Scranton, with drive-through and walk-up meals available from 2:30-5:30 p.m., or until supplies last.<\/p>\n
On Nov. 25, Family to Family will distribute Thanksgiving food baskets at the Scranton Cultural Center from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or until supplies last.<\/p>\n
For Sister Judy, the effort is ultimately about much more than food.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what we\u2019re supposed to do,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is not an obligation. It is a centering of the true meaning of Thanksgiving and the holiday season.\u201d<\/p>\n
And she emphasized, it cannot happen without the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are hundreds and hundreds of people who will stand with us this holiday season to help our neighbors in need,\u201d Sister Judy said. \u201cWe could not do this without the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
HOW TO HELP
50th THANKSGIVING COMMUNITY PROGRAM<\/p>\n
Tuesday, November 24, 2026
Thanksgiving Community Dinner
To donate or volunteer, visit fotpcmc.org or call (570) 342-1342<\/p>\n
Wednesday, November 25, 2026
Family to Family Food Basket Distribution<\/p>\n
To donate, send a check to:
Family to Family
PO Box 13
Scranton, PA 18501<\/p>\n
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