About 25 adults and children braved unseasonably balmy weather Sunday to go Caroling For A Cause in the neighborhood.
Covering the area of Bayard Street to Summit Avenue and Fourth to Sixth Streets, the group serenaded residents with traditional Christmas carols – plus one requested rendition of The Hannukkah Song – and were rewarded with jars of peanut butter or cash donations to benefit the food pantry of St. Raymond’s Church. In all, $100 and 24 jars of peanut butter were collected.
The festive evening began at 4 p.m. in the foyer of event partner Miriam Hospital for hot drinks and cookies. Then, since is was the Hannukkah season, there was a short explanation of the Jewish Festival of Lights and a demonstration of a menorah by Monica Anderson, the hospital’s director of community relations, with a little help from some Jewish members of SNA.
Then it was off into the night, laughing all the way, under the leadership of Jon Howard, a former SNA president. As the singers got to houses whose porch lights were lit, doorbells were rung, residents came out and carols were sung, led by members Jeff Davis and Kurt Anderson. Younger singers scampered up the steps to collect the donations from the audiences and pile the jars into the back of an accompanying car. New songbooks were used this year, compiled by a committee of Deb Mero and Ellen Santaniello.
The last carols were sung on Fourth, almost to the Hope Street commercial section, where many restaurants beckoned. As the singers dispersed, there were vows to “See you next year!”
One residence invited the carolers onto the porch for hot cider as a neighbor passed out cookies.
