The Sacred Heart University (SHU) community in Fairfield, Connecticut, raised more than $14,000 to purchase and donate 450 turkeys to local residents.
For 14 years, SHU’s student government has organized a turkey drive to ensure local families enjoy a hearty Thanksgiving meal. Generous contributions from students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends enable student government to purchase and distribute turkeys just before the holiday. Support from alumus Harry Garafalo ’80 and ShopRite of Milford further ensured that hundreds of local families received a Thanksgiving meal.
Another long-standing tradition is SHU’s food drive. In October, SHU’s community engagement office and SHU Athletics began asking for donations of nonperishable goods. The effort, led by Arlete Perez Paez, assistant director of community engagement, brought in thousands of items, which were then blessed at SHU’s annual interfaith Thanksgiving service and divvied up into grocery bags. The men’s lacrosse team and women’s equestrian team also helped with the food drive.
On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, student-athletes, members of student government, community engagement and the men’s lacrosse team gathered at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Bridgeport to hand out the turkeys and food.
“The turkey drive allows us to come together as a community and make a direct impact on families who might otherwise struggle during the holidays,” said Paris Sonnenberg ’26, student government’s vice president of community and unity. “It reminds us that when we show up for others we can help create a holiday season that every family deserves to experience.”
Sonnenberg reminded people that the turkey drive is impactful and could truly alter someone’s holiday. “A turkey may seem small to us, but for a family facing financial stress, it can be everything,” she said.
At the interfaith service, the university came together for a moment of reflection and gratitude before the holiday. The SHU gospel choir delivered a powerful and uplifting performance that filled the Chapel of the Holy Spirit with energy and love, setting the tone for the service. Interfaith chaplains offered prayers over the donations, blessing the food and the families who would receive it.
As one of the nation’s largest Catholic universities and among the fastest-growing private doctoral institutions in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century.
