By Sunayana Prabhu
RED BANK – The Jericho Homestead, a nonprofit organization founded by Father Daison Areepparampil, parochial vicar of St. James Parish, Red Bank, who has been serving in missionary work for over two decades, held a successful annual fundraising wine dinner Sept. 28, to support its mission of providing a retirement home and end-of-life assistance for the elderly in India.
The event, held at St. Anthony’s Parish Center, drew nearly 225 attendees, exceeding the planned 200 guests. The funds raised will go toward the construction of four three-story buildings that will make up the House of Mary and Joseph complex in Kerala, India.
The project, founded by Father Daison, aims to create 500 subsidized living units to accommodate the growing number of elderly in India whose children have moved abroad, leaving them without family support.
One building will be dedicated to providing free housing and care for those most in need. “Our purpose is to help the elderly and give them dignity in their life, and also the marginalized kids for education,” said Father Daison, who had a vision for the project at age 11.
The Jericho Homestead, a registered nonprofit, organizes annual fundraisers to support the construction and future operations of the House of Mary and Joseph. Father Daison hopes to complete the buildings by 2025 and have them blessed the following year. While the project has a clear vision, he acknowledged the need to develop a sustainable funding model to cover the operational costs once the buildings are complete. A new board of directors is being formed to help with the long-term planning and management of the initiative.
The article originally appeared in the October 17 – October 23, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
