The St. Patrick Catholic Community, Casa Mia Mexican restaurant and the Scottsdale Firefighters Association (SFA) distributed 150 lasagna meals to families in need earlier this month. 

Peter Tocco, a parishioner at the St. Patrick Catholic Church and director of Charities with SFA, worked with the office of Social Justice and Outreach and Casa Mia co-owner Nantas Sodano to make the community-wide gesture possible.

"Those who struggle daily with tough decisions of having to pay bills or putting food on the table had a brief reprieve and were able to enjoy a nourishing meal," said Richard DiCarlo, Social Ministry and Outreach associate with the church. "We are very thankful for the kindhearted and generous offering from both the private business and governmental sectors."

Sodano originally wanted to donate the meals to the fire department as a way of saying thank you for their service. But Tocco saw a way to help others in need. 

The three organizations turned to specialists from the local school districts to determine which families may need help. Using an identification platform similar to the church's Adopt-A-Family charity movement that occurs at Christmastime, 150 food insecure families were identified and notified. 

The coronavirus pandemic required the group to follow safety protocols, so the food was placed in each family's car by gloved and masked firefighters.

DiCarlo said that the donation and the efforts of all the groups involved went to show how the church is "alive in our partnerships with communities and how people's ministries of charity and justice unite us all."