Sep 28, 2007 11:41 am US/Eastern
Lawrence Meals Center Celebrates Major Milestone
by David Robichaud
LAWRENCE (WBZ) ―
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The Cor Unum Meals Center at St. Patrick's Church on South Broadway.
WBZ
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Conan O'Brien helped open the center in September 2006.
CBS
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Sean Casey served breakfast to people at the Cor Unum Meals Center last May.
WBZ
A meals center in Lawrence is celebrating a major milestone, thanks to a little star power and a lot of generosity.
The Cor Unum Meals Center at St. Patrick's Church on South Broadway is located in the heart of the state's poorest city.
Sunday marks its first anniversary. They served their 100,000th meal on Thursday.
Father Paul O'Brien recruited his college roommate, late night talk show host Conan O'Brien, to help get the center off the ground in September 2006.
The two raised close to $500,000 for the center, much of it through T-shirt sales from Labels Are For Jars.
Detroit Tigers first baseman Sean Casey served breakfast there back in May, when the Tigers were in town to play the Red Sox.
Casey has also used the T-shirts to raise money with his teammates. He met Father O'Brien 15 years ago when he was playing in the Cape Cod League.
Volunteers and donors help keep it running.
"We knew the need for food in Lawrence was profound, but it's amazing to serve 100,000 in one year," Father O'Brien said.
"It's tough not to be amazed."
According O'Brien, most of Cor Unum's guests are children because three-quarters of the children living in Lawrence are at risk for hunger. The average income in Lawrence is $14,000 - making it the poorest community in Massachusetts.
The Cor Unum Center serves three meals a day, 365 days a year.
Cor Unum means "one heart" in Latin.
If you'd like to donate, go to
www.labelsareforjars.org, for more information.
For information on volunteering, visit Cor Unum's web site
www.corunummealcenter.org.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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