January 2025: Supporting Family Promise of WNY
Our community embraces the mission of Family Promise, as they continue to serve families faced with being homeless. They are one of only two homeless shelters for families in WNY. They keep this hope-filled haven full week after week, They provide comprehensive support for the families, and work closely with them toward their transition of regaining ecomomic stability and returning to an apartment. The Executive Director, Luanne Firestone, spoke to us about the mission and the family focus. Interesting to note: when families arrive in the shelter, they are provided with new bedding for their use during their stay, and they get to keep that bedding when they transition to an apartment. That's a truly, personal touch.
February 2025: Mission Support for Buffalo Peace House
Our community has supported this shelter for asylum seekers since it opened and began providing a safe living space and legal services for the vulnerable poplulation. Now, with the borders closed, the population has asked us for prayers from their safety. We heard from the director, Paige Cohen, about the long delays for court hearings for the residents. They are anticipating expanding to a second house during the current year, thanks to a generous donor, providing them a house.
Ash Wednesday -- Soup and Bread
Our Lenten Journey Begins
Thank you to Diane and Ralph Mercuri, and all the special soup makers in our community. We commemorated Ash Wednesday with a prayer service and the distribution of ashes that evening. Due to illness, Father Duke could not be present.
March 2025: Hearts for the Homeless
Our community support this month will go toward Hearts for the Homeless. We heard an update from the director, Nick Calandra after mass. They have expanded to now serve 1,000 meals per day, including lunch, dinner for the homeless population in Buffalo, plus pantry meals as well. This was all made possible because of their newly upgraded professional kitchen. They just opened a new, Thrift Store in West Seneca. The proceeds from sales go directly to the operating costs of running their mission.
April 2025: Harvest House
Harvest House has provided services to the underserved population since 1993. This past year, the Retreat Center was sold due to greatly reduced retreats and other events. The facility will be repurposed to provide 15 apartment units of affordable housing. However, the Ministry Center on Jefferson Avenue continues to grow, serving more people. Services provided include the Baby and Children's Ministry; Good Neighbors Health Care, providing primary health care and dental care; New Hope Education, providing adult education for a wide variety of certified skills, and Harvest Housing, providing guidance and financial linkage to government funding to keep people from homelessness. See much more by visiting https://www.harvesthousebuffalo.org/
Celebrating Holy Week
Our community celebrated Holy Week with our traditional Seder on Holy Thursday. Thank you, Father Paul, for your leadership as we commemorate the Passover, and the Lord's Supper.
Good Friday Services were led by Father Duke Zajac.
The prayer service and Stations of the Cross were led by Bill Korthals and Mary Miller
May 2025
Mission of the Month: Hopeful Ways
Our community support was directed to Hopeful Ways, an all-volunteer medical team, specializing in providing vision care for the needy people living in Central America. This year, the team managed a successful deployment of caregivers to Nicoya, Costa Rica, where they partnered with the local Lions Club and a local hospital.
Each day, 50 - 60 volunteers from Hopeful Ways, Nicoya Lions, the hospital and interpreters
worked cooperatively in the clinic each day to provide free services. Dozens of people who were legally blind due to cataracts, were surgically treated so they can see again. In addition, during the 5-day clinic, 900
people had their lives greatly enhanced by better vision as a result of free eye care services that
would not have otherwise been available to them. Services included: eye exams, prescription and
reading eyeglasses, sunglasses and safety glasses, and referrals to the hospital ophthalmologist for
further consultation and/or surgery.
June 2025: Supporting Little Portion Friary
Ride for Roswell 2025
Team Newman, led by Captains Renie Stevens and Perry Figliotti, successfully participated in the 2025 Ride for Roswell, all for the benefit of cancer research and family support, The team raised over $20,000 in funds, led by Renie's personal effort to raise over $10,000! Thank you for the community support of this annual event. The Ride was a huge success: over 6,000 riders, raising $6 million, a new record!.
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| Joanne Kiefer-Warren, Darius Leo, Jack Leo, Renie Stevens and Perry Figliotti. Not present, Joanne's daughter Addie |
Nicaraguan Mission Project: July 2025
Our community support is directed to the people living in poverty in Nicaragua, which is second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. We have helped Ann Marie Zon in many ways since the days we were were the Newman Center of ECCN. Shipments of humanitarian aid have been blocked by the autocratic government since 2018, the year protesters showed their displeasure with the regime. Since then, our funds have been carefully and quietly transferred to Father Alfonso, who transfers the resources directly to families for food, seeds for planting, medicine, medical services, and support for their daily living. Thousands of NGO's have been shut down and barred from helping the people in need in the country. However, with the help of Father Alfonso, our aid gets to people every week.
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