By Kelly Marsicano, Communications Coordinator
For the past three years, Peace Ministries has gathered leadership and staff from each of the five sponsored ministries for a day of service. Coming together as a family of ministries to carry out the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, thousands of meals are packed for the people of Milot, Haiti. This packathon is just one piece in a much greater, nationwide effort. And it all started with one sister.
Sister Ann Crawley, who passed away in September 2025, spent 15 years of her life dedicated to the Haitian people in the area surrounding Hôpital Sacré Coeur, a private hospital supported by Haiti Health Promise of Holy Name. Sister Ann cared deeply for the Haitian people and worked tirelessly to improve their quality of life. She helped build more than 500 homes and was known for “redistributing” volunteers’ clothing and shoes to those in need. She handed out candy to the children, brought comfort to the sick, and embraced the vulnerable and marginalized.
Sister Ann also became acutely aware of the widespread hunger affecting the Haitian people. At Christmastime in 2019, she urgently requested that food be sent to the community rather than toys and clothing. In response, Holy Name President and CEO Michael Maron coordinated the first packathon with Bergen Catholic High School, where volunteers packed 98,000 meals for Haiti.
“She didn’t just build houses—she built hope. She didn’t just hand out food—she nourished souls. She didn’t just care for the sick and broken—she restored their worth,” Maron remarked in his eulogy.
Facing extreme food insecurity, the packathons have become a mainstay for the people in the Milot region. Since its start, nearly 3.5 million meals have been distributed. The meals—packed in a single bag that feeds six people—consist of rice, beans, dehydrated vegetables, and vitamins. And it takes a gymnasium full of people to get it done.
Typically, about 10 packathons are held each year across the country, with several hundred people packing 50,000 meals or more per event. Through teamwork and dedication, the process is completed in just a couple of hours. Several workstations are set up around the room for filling the bags in an assembly-line style. The bags then get weighed, sealed, and packed into boxes. Those boxes, each containing 40 bags (or 240 meals), are placed in large wooden crates, sent to a warehouse, and later shipped to Haiti. It takes about two to three months from packing to the time the food is distributed in Milot.
“This is really a legacy that Sister Ann created,” said President of Holy Name Foundation Cathy Davey, who helps organize the events.
In the spring of 2024, Peace Ministries officially joined in the effort and has continued to do so since. Gathering leadership and staff from Holy Name, Peace Care, St. Joseph’s School for the Blind, Waterspirit, York Street Project, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, the group assembles in the auditorium at the Sister Claire Tynan School of Nursing in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, for an afternoon of packing, camaraderie, and mission focused service. It’s a way for staff across the organization to interact with each other and to learn more about the needs of the Haitian people while also living out the core values of the Congregation that unite all five ministries.
“We love the fact that these are the very ministry staff and leaders who, through their efforts every day, carry on the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace,” said Maureen Donohue, executive director of Peace Ministries.
“[It’s] just a wonderful event—great energy, great to work together, great to meet all the staff and leadership of our ministries, and work on a common project together,” added Sister Terry Donohue, CSJP.
This year, Peace Ministries set and achieved its goal of packing 30,000 meals with the help of nearly 100 volunteers.
“Today is a wonderful day for us to work together as a team and to help all the other families in need,” said Tiffany Taylor, director of nursing at Peace Care St. Joseph’s.
“I am from Haiti, and I'm so happy that the organization has decided to help my people and the children of Haiti,” added Julienne Van-Nooten, director of admissions at Peace Care St. Joseph’s. “I'm so blessed to be here.”
Peace Ministries trustee Gerry Costa experienced the packathon and day of service for the first time. “I love being part of the tradition and charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace and Peace Ministries,” he said. “Listening to the stories around the table with the workers here was so inspiring. I'm so grateful for this ministry, for these sisters.”
This year’s food packathon was dedicated to Sister Ann Crawley and all the sisters and associates who passed away in the prior year.
This article appeared in the Autumn 2026 issue of Living Peace.