Daily News

Elms College, St. Stanislaus to Memorialize Departed Homeless People

CHICOPEE — The Elms College School of Nursing, in collaboration with the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Sunday Sandwich Ministry, is holding a memorial service and dinner to honor homeless people who passed away in 2015 in Chicopee.

The event takes place Friday, Dec. 18 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen & Pantry, 170 Pendexter Ave., Chicopee. The memorial program, which precedes the 5 p.m. dinner, will be held outside, so attendees should dress accordingly. The public is invited to join in remembrance. Food pantry donations of non-perishable food items or money may be made at the event.

For 25 years, on or near the first day of winter and the longest night of the year, the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has advocated this national day of memory to bring attention to the tragedy of homelessness and to remember friends who have lost their lives to homelessness.

The Basilica of St. Stanislaus Sandwich Ministry distributes food and clothing to people who are homeless or facing financial challenges in Chicopee center each Sunday.

Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen & Pantry is a nonprofit organization serving the hungry and disadvantaged in the Greater Chicopee community. Lorraine’s serves an average of 100 meals each evening and approximately 500 families a month through the pantry.

Elms College School of Nursing operates the caRe vaN, providing free healthcare to the homeless and underserved of Chicopee and Holyoke.