At special meal, PACT clients express thanks for Catholic Charities program

The holiday season can be a wonderful time of year when people get together with friends and family. Especially on Thanksgiving, most show gratitude for those gathered around the table and for the food that is on it. Thanksgiving can definitely be a great day for many, but for some it can be a very lonely time. 

Before Thanksgiving, clients of the East Brunswick Program of Assertive Community Treatment gathered together for a feast to celebrate the holiday. The program is an evidence-based practice that offers person-centered, recovery-based care in community-based settings to individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness.

Before they ate, clients introduced themselves to one another, since they don’t get to interact on a regular basis. PACT staff members expressed their gratitude for the clients, explained that they were grateful to have a purpose to improve their lives, and thanked them for their trust. 

The East Brunswick PACT team, led by Rose Bohar, prepared all the food, served it and interacted with clients, like they usually do. PACT clients from East Brunswick were served lots of traditional Thanksgiving dishes – turkey, ham, corn, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, macaroni and cheese – and were able to take food to go with them. 

“The reason why we started doing this lunch is because a lot of clients in the PACT program don’t have any families to celebrate with,” Bohar said. “It’s a feel-good event that we’ve been doing for about 10 years now.” 

During the meal, laughter and music could be heard all the way down the hallway. For dessert, clients were served traditional Thanksgiving-flavored pies. After a special raffle, PACT clients took turns expressing their gratitude and talking about what they’re most thankful for. Almost all of the clients said they were grateful for the PACT team and its staff. 

Diane Barone has been a staff member with the PACT team for two years as a counselor. “This event is so special to me,” she said. “I love dealing with people and interacting with clients.

“A lot of them don’t have anywhere to go on Thanksgiving, so we like to hold this lunch for them, and they really do appreciate it,” she added.

AnnMarie Costantini, program director of Middlesex County PACT, said, “Rose [Bohar] started this tradition, and even inspired the Perth Amboy PACT team to start this tradition as well.” 

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen operates three PACT Teams that cover all of Middlesex County. The Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen’s East Brunswick Family Service Center is located at 288 Rues Lane in East Brunswick. 

Visit Facebook, Instagram, and X – @ccdom1 – to stay updated on upcoming events and ways to help clients get the services they need. 

Tiffany Workman is the Communications Specialist in the Office of Communications and Public Relations.