Kevin J. Conway has been a longtime supporter of Catholic Charities, and advocate for our Feeding Our Neighbors program. In recognition for his outstanding leadership and dedication to helping a wide variety of charitable causes, including Catholic Charities, Kevin will lead the 262nd New York City Saint Patrick’s Day Parade as Grand Marshal.

We recently had the chance to speak with Kevin about his personal connection with Catholic Charities and what he finds most inspiring.

Catholic Charities provides critical support and care for New Yorkers most in need and serves as a lifeline to countless individuals and families. It is a trustworthy and efficient organization that has a proven track record and makes the most of every dollar contributed. I am impressed by the dedicated leadership of Monsignor Kevin Sullivan and the staff — from the caseworkers securing emergency housing for families to the volunteers distributing groceries at local food pantries. They are tireless in their work to aid those who need our help. Catholic Charities always serves New Yorkers with compassion and dignity. I am inspired by their steadfast commitment, and the genuine love they express for their neighbors in their many good works and critical programs.

I am honored to serve as the Grand Marshal of the 262nd New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The theme of this year’s parade is Food Insecurity, a somewhat overly polite way of saying we need to feed the hungry and take care of those who don’t have food on their tables. Hunger is often an invisible problem — especially in young children who need proper nutrition to thrive.

This year’s St. Patrick’s Day Foundation Gala is committed to both raising awareness and critical funds to support soup kitchens and pantries, and organizations that feed the poor and neediest in New York, people who are not very different than many of the Irish Americans who arrived in the coffin ships of the middle 19th-century wave of Irish immigrants, fleeing the Great Famine of their homeland.

For a country of great wealth, it is startling to see the hunger statistics in this amazing country. In New York City, visits to food pantries are up 70% compared to 2019, and up another 20% in the last six months, as food prices began to increase dramatically with inflation. Roughly 1.5 million New Yorkers — and 1 in 4 children — do not get enough to eat.

These statistics are staggering and reflect real people who don’t always know where their next meal will come from. As a result, I am especially thankful for the Catholic Charities Feeding Our Neighbors program. Catholic Charities is leading the effort to fight hunger here in New York City. This lifesaving program is attacking hunger in New York through their large network of food pantries, soup kitchens, mobile pantries, grocery delivery service to the homebound, and much more. I am honored to support Catholic Charities and thank my fellow New Yorkers for your continued support and commitment to serving our neighbors in need.

As a Catholic organization, I believe Catholic Charities has a deeper mission. Catholic Charities not only serves the basic needs of New Yorkers of all religions, but they also support people as equals in the eyes of God to make their lives more healthy, more hopeful, and more happy.

Kevin exemplifies a caring, dedicated New Yorker. His leadership, generosity and commitment to the poor have been critical to advancing Catholic Charities’ mission helping our neighbors in need. —Monsignor Kevin Sullivan

A Heartfelt Thank You

We are grateful to Kevin and his wife Dee for their sustained generosity and commitment to Catholic Charities and are honored to be chosen as a beneficiary of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Foundation Gala. Learn more: StPatricksDayFoundation.org