Happy Thanksgiving with the Missionaries of Charity

Once again, thanksgiving is celebrated with my favorite nuns of the Missionaries of Charity. This is a group of amazing nuns whose order was started by Mother Teresa. This was Mother Teresa's 100th anniversary. Every year, the nuns provide a venue for a wonderful meal, a great show by some talented dancers and singers, and the homeless people who come to the shelter usually put on a Thanksgiving play too. It really is something beautiful to behold. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to get involved in giving back to the community and helping people who are less fortunate than us. Thanksgiving is also a busy time of year, and sometimes understandably hard to get away from other obligations. Last year, I announced it at Bamboomoves and Hank joined me. This year Hank was back again with wife Maria, and 8 other Bamboomoves members came along too! WOW! So thankful to be part of this amazing family/yoga studio at Bamboomoves in the Bronx. Thank you to Armando & Denise, Jody, Michelle, Hank & Maria, Stefanie & Matt, Mary and BF, YOU ALL ROCK! We arrived there at 8:30 and did the jobs that the sisters assigned either preparing the meals, carrying the meals to the hall, peeling potatoes, preparing cutlery, setting the tables, sweeping, and most of us were in the massive traditional chain of people that puts the food on the table. It is a lot of fun every year! Upon leaving a small group of us ran into a familiar Sister I knew from the Mission, and she was so happy to see the group of new faces I recruited. We stood for a quick picture. If you or someone you know are interested in volunteering with the Missionaries of Charity, they also have daily meals every day, except for Fridays in their Bronx location. Hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving! Thank you to all who participated, and thank you to the Sisters who dedicate their lives tirelessly to help the poor.

The Missionaries of Charity- BX, NY

While having a lovely dinner with a friend in the glorious center of the world, Manhattan, I was enchanted by the discussion of charity and philanthropy.  While the two go hand in hand, I was reminded of one of my favorite charities the Missionaries of Charity.  The Missionaries of Charity was founded by the late Mother Teresa (now succeeded by Sister Nirmala) to offer love and compassion to the poorest of the world.  Originally starting in India, Mother Teresa took her mission all over the world.  Here in New York the mission offers Shelter for Shut Ins, Daily Meals for the less fortunate, and an Aids Hospice.  The sisters and brothers of this charity take an incredible vow of poverty, and dedicate their lives to helping those less fortunate.  They bring joy to people and always appreciate the love, and help of volunteers.  I like to volunteer in the Bronx, where they offer meals to the less fortunate.  

When I volunteered last Thanksgiving, the sisters made me the Star of their "Play".  The sisters have a tendency for offering a variety of entertainment to the people who come for meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they pull volunteers out from the food line to the stage to participate in an almost 100% improvised play.  Since I am a familiar face, they pulled me! It was a lot of fun, and the crowd enjoyed it while they had a beautiful hot meal.  For more information about donating or volunteering with the Missionaries of Charity visit: http://www.motherteresa.org/layout.html