In the famous Alice Hegan Rice novel Mrs. Wiggs of The Cabbage Patch (1901), based on the neighborhood in which The Cabbage Patch was founded as a mission outreach, there is a chapter about church members delivering Christmas baskets to the poor families of The Cabbage Patch. Rice very well could have been alluding to the mission outreach of Second Presbyterian at Park Chapel (later Stuart Robinson Memorial Presbyterian) across from Central Park.
Perhaps it was little coincidence then, that Louise Marshall, founder of The Cabbage Patch Settlement House, was a member of Second Presbyterian Church. From the time The Cabbage Patch was established in 1910, throughout Miss Marshall's life, the congregation supported The Patch's mission. The relationship did not wane following her death in 1981, and Second Presbyterian continues to be a major supporter of The Cabbage Patch.
Individual members act as the hands and feet of Christ to those in need at The Patch throughout the year. The church's commitment is expecially evident, though, each fall, when dozens of members come together to raise thousands of dollars, go on shopping excursions with Patch parents, and wrap and deliver Christmas gifts to dozens of Patch participants and their families. This year, 121 members of Second Presbyterian volunteered and made the Christmas baskets program possible for 23 Cabbage Patch families, said Cindy Dickman, who chaired the 2009 project.
Ken and Ann Fleming (left and right) and daughters rejoiced with a Patch family after delivering Christmas baskets with gifts and hams.
Volunteer Cindy McCarthy, shown below in a shopping photo with her daughters, said, "This is a wonderful tradition for the families at Second Presbyterian. It's something in which everyone can participate, from my five-year-old daughter going shopping to the 85-year-old wrapping gifts."
The families at The Cabbage Patch also look forward to the fellowship and seeing the familiar faces. Some of the The Patch families have been matched with Second Presbyterian basket sponsors for two or three years and have enjoyed rekindling the relationship.
Second Presbyterian 2009 Christmas Project Photo Gallery: