By Associate Ellen Baker

The annual breakfast for women in Haiti was held October 16 at St. Patrick School in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. What started as a simple idea to find a way to raise funds for the women of Plaisance, Haiti, has become a much-anticipated event for the Mercy community as well as the communities of Jaffrey and Peterborough, New Hampshire. The Jaffrey Knights of Columbus supplied all the cooking equipment and local businesses showed their support through monetary donations and supplying items at no cost or at discounted rates. A bus tour from Swampscott, Massachusetts, even combined attending the breakfast with a foliage tour of the area.

The proceeds from the breakfast benefit the women of Plaisance, Haiti. However, there is another important aspect of the breakfast—nearly 300 tickets are donated each year to local agencies, such as the Salvation Army, to distribute to people seeking assistance. "It is a gratifying and humbling experience to know the dignity of each person at the breakfast is respected," said Mercy Associate Joan O’Donnell. "Everyone walks in with a ticket and is welcomed as Catherine McAuley would wish … and everyone is thanked for attending."

Committee co-chairs Sister Melinda Hill and Joan O’Donnell start planning the Haiti breakfast in July every year. Sisters, associates, companions, and friends take an active role throughout the process to help ensure the success of the event.

The Haiti breakfasts, which started in 2004, have become one of the most successful fundraisers for the Haiti Fund, established in 1997, to respond to the poverty and needs of the Haitian people. Money raised from fundraisers and donations (over $120,000 to date) is sent regularly to assist the women of Plaisance in their small businesses.

Co-chairs Sister Melinda Hill (standing, second from left) and Associate Joan O’Donnell (standing, third from left) at this year’s annual breakfast for women in Haiti. Photo submitted by Sister Madonna Moran.