Every Division must fill out and submit an Official Hibernian Hunger Report and Awards Application to the AOH National Board Hibernian Hunger Project Committee. To be considered for these Hibernian Hunger Awards, all projects must have taken place between January 1 – December 31, 2021, and reports must be filled by February 15, 2022. An Application Form for these awards is posted on our national web page. Please feel free to contact AOH National Board Hibernian Hunger Project Chairman, Bill Sullivan, with any questions. His email address is: williamjsullivan@verizon.net

The AOH National Board will present a total of $4,000 in Awards to Divisions who have developed Hibernian Hunger Projects that help to eliminate hunger in their communities. This $4,000 will be spread out over 7 Awards. The award for First Prize is $1,000, and there will also be six (6) Second Prizes of $500 each.

Every Division must fill out and submit an Official Hibernian Hunger Report and Awards Application to the AOH National Board Hibernian Hunger Project Committee. To be considered for these Hibernian Hunger Awards, all projects must have taken place between January 1 – December 31, 2020, and reports must be filled by February 15, 2021. An Application Form for these awards is posted on our National web page. Please feel free to contact AOH National Board Hibernian Hunger Project Chairman, Bill Sullivan, with any questions. His email address is: williamjsullivan@verizon.net

For over a half century, members of the Tomas Cardinal O’Fiaich Division 14 AOH in Watertown, Massachusetts have been marching in Watertown’s Annual Memorial Day Parade to honor those who have gone before them. Prior to the parade, members gather at the Cottage Street Cemetery in Watertown to place a wreath near the graves of the many Irish immigrants who are buried there.

However, this year with Covid 19 epidemic and social distancing rules in effect throughout Massachusetts, these annual Memorial Day traditions were not to be. Realizing the needs in their community and wanting to honor and remember those that have served our country and have gone on to their eternal rest, Division 14 in collaboration with the Watertown Catholic Collaborative Food Pantry set up a safe, no contact food drop – off station in their Division home’s parking lot from 8 am to 3 pm on Memorial Day. As one might expect, the members of the Division and community overwhelmingly supported this endeavor with boxes and carloads of food donations. Without a doubt, it was one of the largest food drives, Division 14 and the Watertown Collaborative Food Pantry had ever seen!

Congratulations to the officers and members of Division 14 in Watertown, Massachusetts for their creative efforts in establishing a new way to honor the memory of those who came before them, while at the same time contributing financially and with their time and talents to their community in the true spirit of Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity. It is this exemplary effort and spirit by the members of the Tomas Cardinal O’Fiaich Division in Watertown, that make us all proud to be members of the oldest, largest, and greatest Irish Catholic organization in the United States, the AOH!

When Hibernians in Massachusetts speak of the “Golden West” they are referring to the James A. Curran Division 1 in Holyoke, MA. Found 147 years ago by Irish immigrants who worked on the Holyoke Dam, it has been a Division that is truly community orientated. For the past 40 years Division members have volunteered at Providence Ministries Kate’s Kitchen to prepare and serve dinner the last Sunday of every month to 150 plus of the area’s neediest residents. Division 1 member, “Sarge” Nugent helped establish Kates’s Kitchen in 1980. In addition to volunteering to serve and prepare meals, Division members also donate food items to Kate’s food pantry. Since its inception, Kate’s Kitchen has provided over two million meals.

Just prior to the pandemic on February 22, Division 1 celebrated “Irish Night in Holyoke” in memory of their late Hibernian Brother, Daniel P. Curran. The event was held at the Log Cabin in Holyoke to a sellout crowd of 450, where attendees feasted on a delicious New England style Corned beef and Cabbage Dinner with entertainment provided by the Noel Henry Irish Showband, the Cassin School of Irish Dance and piper Matt O’Connor This annual event is a celebration of Irish Culture, as well as, a fundraiser for the Division’s charitable endeavors. The monies raised from this dinner benefit: the Maurice A. Donahue Memorial Scholarship; Holyoke’s St Patrick’s Parade; Kate’s Kitchen; Pan Mass Challenge for Cancer Research, as well as a host of other charitable groups in the western part of state.

During the festivities, Kelly O’Connor was named Ms. LAOH Hibernian 2020, and Matt O’Connor was named Mr. AOH Hibernian, 2020. Each of the recipients were recognized as members who exemplified the Hibernian motto of “Friendship, Unity, and True Christian Charity.”

Holyoke’s Division President and Immediate Past Massachusetts AOH State President Paul Hogan, in a recent email to Division 1 members optimistically noted, “Please hold onto the fond memories of times past and be determined that soon you will create even better times.”
What a terrific philosophy to live by!

Congratulations to the officers and members of the James A. Curran Division in Holyoke, Massachusetts for keeping our Hibernian traditions and culture alive, while at the same time contributing both financially and with their time and talents to their community in the true spirit of Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity. It is the exemplary works and spirit of the members of Division 1 in Holyoke that make us all proud to be members of the oldest, largest and greatest Irish Catholic organization in the United States, the AOH!