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j bartoloJames Bartolo
Pueblo Chieftain
Nov. 25, 2024

One of Pueblo's most storied holiday traditions continued for a 29th year on Nov. 22 when local high school students throughout Pueblo School District 60 and Pueblo County School District 70 assembled and distributed over 400 Thanksgiving meal boxes for hungry families.

Centennial, Central, Dutch Clark Digital Online at Paragon, East, Pueblo County, Pueblo West and South High students packed boxes with turkeys, pies, rolls, potatoes, beans, rice and canned foods during the annual Tom and Louie's Cupboard food distribution at St. Joseph's Hall, 917 E. B St.

Jasmine Dougherty, Mara Johnson and Adrielle Smith of Pueblo West High School were among the many high school seniors participating in Tom and Louie's Cupboard for the fourth year in a row. All three of them emphasized the importance of sharing a Thanksgiving meal with family in a conversation with the Chieftain.

"I hang out with my family a lot and Thanksgiving is a big week for us," Dougherty said. "I think just being able to provide those things for families that may not be able to afford it — whatever their circumstances may be — is just so important to me."

Pueblo South's Catlin Bonicelli loads a box of food into a vehicle during the 29th annual Tom and Louie's Cupboard food drive on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.
While high school student council members and their advisors spearhead the distribution, East High School senior Ysabelle Rosales told the Chieftain that collecting food for Tom and Louie's Cupboard is a community-wide effort. Canned goods were collected from drives at nearby elementary schools.

"We sorted all of the cans into all of the different boxes and now we are distributing all of them," Rosales said.

fjv blessingFood boxes were blessed by Father Joseph Vigil of St. Anne Catholic Church prior to distribution. Central students Jackson Jimenez, Brandon Martinez, Isaiah Martinez and Ryan Strubel were among the students tasked with making sure all foods distributed were fresh and expired items were repurposed or disposed of.

Pueblo high school students listen as Father Joseph Vigil blesses the food to be distributed during the 29th annual Tom and Louie's Cupboard food drive on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.
Anastazya Montoya, Kambria Humphreys, Isabel Arriaga-Pacheco, and Chloe Ortiz of Dutch Clark Digital proved that small schools can make a difference. While not having nearby "feeder schools," Dutch Clark Digital students contributed by collecting donations for pies and other goods from their own school.

"I've had to use services like this before, so it's nice to give back and be on the other side helping people," Humphreys said.

TLC launched in 1996 to honor two slain priests
Tom and Louie's Cupboard is a tradition named in honor of reverends Thomas Scheets and Louis Stovik. The two Diocese of Pueblo priests were known for their generosity, grabbing food from their own cupboards to give to families in need.

Stovik was born near the Canadian border in Ferry County, Washington. He studied at St. John's Prep in Minnesota, worked in Seattle for Boeing Aircraft, spent a year in a North Dakota sanitarium and worked in Arizona for the Santa Fe Railroad before studying for his 1949 ordination at Denver's St. Thomas Seminary.

Pueblo East's Mark Casillas, left, along with Pueblo County's Ryland Haset, center, and Jace Lisac fill boxes of food during the 29th annual Tom and Louie's Cupboard food drive on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.
Over the course of 47 years in the priesthood, Stovik served at Pueblo County's Christ the King Parish, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Shrine of St. Therese, St. Pius X Parish and St. Therese Parish Vineland.

Scheets received his ordination in 1956 and began his service to the Diocese of Pueblo in 1975. While serving a diocesan assignment in La Junta, he served on the city's housing authority and organized a voucher program providing food, gas and shelter.

While at St. Leander on the East Side of Pueblo, Scheets hosted local priests at weekly community dinners. Tragically, Stovik and Scheets were murdered in August 1996 while living in the rectory behind St. Leander Church.

Long-time Tom and Louie's Cupboard volunteer Chris Pena never knew Tom and Louie personally, but has been involved since the drive started in fall 1996. He ran into representatives with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Pueblo County looking to start a food drive and helped them raise funds to launch it.

By 2000, Tom and Louie's Cupboard was feeding over 300 families with help from the Boys and Girls Club, local high schools, the University of Southern Colorado and other community members, according to previous Chieftain reporting.

"Our big thing is the teachers," Pena told the Chieftain in 2024. "We have some good teachers that just jump in and they're the big leaders nowadays."

Pena named teachers Lindsey Moore of Pueblo West High School, Cherise Johnson of Central High School and Gina Smith of East High School among the current leading organizers of Tom and Louie's Cupboard.

"It's not just about getting people fed, it's actually the kids — the kids like this," Pena said. "This is their feeding ground... That's why we have so many kids involved — they love it."

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Today's Bible Message

“You, my child, shall be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

– Luke 1:67-79

Prayer to St. Anne's

sanne

Good St. Anne, you were especially favored by God to be the Mother of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Savior. By your power with your most pure daughter and with her divine Son, kindly obtain for us the grace and the favor we now seek. Please secure for us also forgiveness of our past sins, the strength to perform faithfully our daily duties and the help we need to persevere in the love of Jesus and Mary.
Amen

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NEW MONASTERY
CAPUCHIN POOR CLARE SISTERS
Donations to: CATHOLIC FOUNDATION
Poor Clare Fund on memo line.
Checks to be mailed to:
Catholic Foundation
101 N. Greenwood St.
Pueblo, Colorado 81003-3164

Parish Rectory

St. Anne's Parish RectorySt. Anne's Parish Rectory with new sign and paint job.

Parish Office
2701 E. 12th Street
Pueblo, CO 81001
Hours:
9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Tues.- Fri.)
12 p.m. to 1 p.m. (Closed for Lunch)
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Afternoon Hours)

Ph: 719-545-2644
Fax: (719) 544-0959
saintannepueblo@gmail.com

 

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Mass Schedule

Tues.: 8:30 a.m.
Wed.: 8:30 a.m.
​Thurs.: 12 p.m.
Fri.: 8:30 a.m.
Sat.: 4 p.m.
Sun.: 10 a.m.

About St. Anne's

St. Anne's Catholic Church is located in the Eastwood Heights neighborhood of Pueblo. The church was first tended to by the Benedictine Fathers of St. Leander's Parish. The building itself was a former Army chapel originally located on a World War II era base east of Pueblo.

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