14th Annual St. John's Bread & Life's Johnny's Angel Dinner

St. John's Bread & Life will hold its 14th annual Johnny's Angel Awards dinner Wednesday, November 16, 6:30 p.m. at St. John's University's D'Angelo Center. This year's honorees are Steve Lavin, head coach of the St. John's University Basketball team, and his wife Mary Ann Jarou; Dr. Pam Shea-Byrnes, vice president of St. John's University Ministry and University Events, and her husband Jeffrey Byrnes. The 2011 Sister Bernadette honoree, in memory of the organization's founder, is Henry Torani, Volunteer Coordinator at St. John's Bread & Life's Mobil Soup Kitchen.

The Johnny's Angel dinner raises funds to help maintain and expand services for deserving New Yorkers in local impoverished neighborhoods.                                                                                                                           

 "We thank our honorees for coming forth to help our mission to serve the less fortunate," said Anthony Butler, executive director of St. John's Bread & Life. "The continued poor economy and high unemployment have created a protracted increased in the need for our services. We find ourselves stretching to meet the needs of our soup kitchen and particularly our food pantry which is patronized by the working poor, those who have jobs that pay too little, or those who are unemployed.

"Through the dedication and generosity of our supporters, we serve hundreds of thousands of meals to the needy each year. Our services make a big difference in the lives of those in our Brooklyn community and beyond."

With 46.2 million Americans living in poverty, Butler reports that St. John's Bread & Life provides 2,000 meals daily and 460,000 meals annually to needy New Yorkers. Additionally, the organization provides case management, medical services and nutritional counseling annually to 25,000+ community residents.

"Our honorees are providing help to the homeless and hungry in our Brooklyn neighborhoods," said Mary Tobin, dinner chairperson. "This event is an acknowledgment of their contribution and their long-term contribution to fighting hunger."

Individual tickets for the Johnny's Angels dinner are $300; tables of ten are $3000. Underwriting and journal advertising are also available. To purchase tickets, please contact Christa Treitmeir-Meditz at ctreitmeiermeditz@msn.com.

About St. John's Bread and Life

Founded in 1982, Bread and Life is a faith-based, 501(c)(3) organization located in one of the poorest neighborhoods in New York City: the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. The organization's mission is to empower those served stabilizing families and individuals and the communities in which they live. The organization serves as a single-stop provider of food, nutrition, health and social services to people in need, including but not limited to presenting more than 2,000 meals daily/400,000 annually and the following: Case management, medical services and nutritional counseling to 25,000+ community members every year. The organization also operates a Digital Choice Food Pantry providing fresh food chosen to those served via computer terminal.