ESCA Makes Christmas A Little Brighter For Those In Need

On Monday, a few members of East Shoreline Catholic Academy (ESCA) staff and faculty took over 100 Blessing Gift Bags collected from ESCA students and families to the Amistad Catholic Worker House on Rosette St. in New Haven. The bags collected and delivered were filled with love, toiletries, etc. to make Christmas a little brighter for those in need. They met up with Luz Catarineau-Colville, one of the founders of the Amistad Catholic Worker House.

For those of you who are not familiar with Amistad Catholic Worker House, Luz Catarineau-Colville with co-founder husband Mark Colville and their family moved in 1994 to the neighborhood and founded the Amistad Catholic Worker House. At that time they had two daughters ages 2 and 4, then later had two sons, and a niece and nephew to join the family. Luz and her husband raised a total of six children, living under one roof, while operating the Amistad Catholic Worker House.

Meals are served Monday through Friday for breakfast (8am-9am) and lunch (12-1pm). “Depending on the time of the month we can serve between 30-75 people a day for breakfast and lunch. The numbers are on the lower side in the beginning of the month and higher by mid month,” said Luz. The food is obtained through donations from UNH, Yale dining, churches, plus people of their extended community they met along the way. Luz indicated people from St. Thomas Moore make lunch on Thursdays, and friends with family throughout the shoreline help out. Co-founder husband Mark covers most of the meals, along with Luz when she is not working. They serve meals to anyone joining during meal hours, no identification is required, but Luz says it is a weapon, alcohol, and drug free zone. “We even curb folks from using vulgar language,” said Luz.

While the Amistad Catholic Worker House is neither a food bank nor an agency, Columbus House sends a social worker and a nurse once a week to do wellness visits for those that come there for meals and tent village.

Mark and Luz Colville were named Persons of the Year for 2019 in the New Haven Register. To read more about them and Amistad Catholic Worker House here is the link to the article (subscription needed): https://www.ctinsider.com/news...

Between the Blessing Gift Bags along with other gifts donated about three hundred gifts were distributed Christmas Eve morning during breakfast from 8-9 am., and remaining gift bags and gifts were delivered to the homes of families in need, said Luz.

East Shoreline Catholic Academy is a dynamic Pre-K3-Grade 8 STREAM model school, (a successor school of Our Lady of Mercy and St. Mary Schools, located in Branford) preparing individual students to be our future leaders rooted in faith, service, and academic excellence. ESCA is NEASC accredited, and is committed to a growth mindset philosophy in a creative and supportive environment augmenting a progressive STREAM educational model.