Community Gathering
Annual Christmas in Little Italy and Winter Walk for the Homeless set for Saturday
TROY. N.Y. >> One Collar City neighborhood is celebrating Christmas while giving to those in need this weekend with a special local tradition.
The annual Christmas in Little Italy and Winter Walk for the Homeless to benefit Joseph’s House & Shelter are scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Little Italy Marketplace at Hill and Fourth streets.
All are welcome to participate in the event, which includes a walk to raise awareness for homelessness in Troy and a traditional Italian Franciscan Christmas celebration, complete with a Ceppo of Saint Francis, a posada (a ritual re- enactment of Mary and Joseph’s search for a lodging in Bethlehem ending at Joseph’s House), live bagpipe music, a samba band, and complimentary refreshments.
Each year, a few hundred people make the Winter Walk and Little Italy Christmas part of their holiday season.
The Winter Walk for the Homeless is now in its 36th year, and Christmas in Little Italy is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The two events decided to partner eight years ago creat-
ing one larger community gathering.
“I think a lot of people lose sight on what Christmas is really about,” said community leader Rocco DeFazio, of local businesses DeFazio’s Pizzeria and DeFazio’s Imports, who started the Christmas celebration a decade ago. “We try to bring back what the real meaning of Christmas is. It’s not thinking about one’s self, it’s about thinking of others. It’s more about giving than receiving.”
During the month of December DeFazio’s Imports, located at 264 4th St., is giving out free gelato to anyone who donates items to Joseph’s House & Shelter, which houses and serves hundreds of children each year.
The items needed are diapers (size three and larger), new sippy cups, twin sheet sets, socks, shoes, sneakers, towels, washcloths, crayons, coloring books, small pillows, and personal hygiene products. Some of these items are nice gifts that the children can get for Christmas, DeFazio said.
“To get what you want, you must share what you have,” is a philosophy that DeFazio’s parents Anthony and Josephine DeFazio ingrained in their children, Rocco said. “This is what motivates me to help Joseph’s House and the children who seek shelter this Christmas.”