March 6, 2008

Saint Vincent de Paul Food Mission Marks 20th Anniversary

By Richard Peyton

The Memphis District Council of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Food Mission currently located at 123 North Cleveland next to Sacred Heart parish.

The Food Mission has been in operation, seven day a week, 365 days a year since it opened in February, 1988. Since then, the Food Mission has prepared an estimated 800,000 meals. The Mission is staffed by volunteers from all walks of life and from all over Shelby County. Every day 150 to 200 meals are served to hungry and homeless Memphians. Many times each year volunteers bring clothes and other items to be distributed to those who need them.

How did it begin? The year was 1988, the place - Midtown Memphis. Fr. Tom Kirk, Pastor of Sacred Heart parish on Jefferson Street, approached the Saint Vincent de Paul Society for assistance. The number of people in need of food had overwhelmed the resources of the parish. In response to Fr. Kirk's plea, in February, the Society opened a Food Mission at the entrance of Kemphues gymnasium across the street from Sacred Heart Church. It began with two or three people consuming a meal of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, coffee or Kool-aid and cookies.

Staffing a new operation seven days a week was not an easy task, but the right people were found to help. Each day two or three volunteers worked behind the concession stand and fed the homeless a simple sandwich and something to drink. At the beginning the hours were from 9 a.m. till 1 p.m. each day. Conditions were not the best, but the volunteers stuck with it. There was not much space to work, it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. At first only a handful of people were served each day but the word spread quickly and the number of people in need of a meal increased.

In about 1999, Sacred Heart needed the gymnasium for another purpose and the Food Mission had to move. Now, the Food Mission was homeless too. One of the volunteers called the Commercial Appeal about the situation and soon an article was published. Rosemary Haag, one of the first volunteers and the "go to" person at the Food Mission, was interviewed and told the story to the entire city. Soon people were contacting the Food Mission about ways they could help. Several options were explored, but nothing seemed to work out.

There was a house for rent just behind Sacred Heart Church. The owner and the St. Vincent de Paul Society worked out a lease agreement so the Food Mission had a new home. Again, the volunteers came to the rescue cleaning the building, adapting it to prepare and serve meals, building countertops and locating refrigerators to store the donated and purchased food. During this time, the facility was closed for three to four long months. When the Food Mission finally reopened, the grapevine was busy again spreading the good news. The new location saw an increase in meals served to approximately 100 guests per day. Volunteers began to bring blankets and clothes and the number of people served steadily grew to the present numbers of 150 to 200 per day.

With all the meals being served and individuals being helped, the Food Mission has outgrown the small rental house. Currently options are being explored to either purchase land to build a new Saint Vincent de Paul Food Mission and Outreach Ministry or to purchase an existing building for this use. The District Council began a Building Fund for this purpose 2 years ago and has received a number of contributions since that time. A more formal plan to raise funds began this past fall when an anonymous donor offered to match funds raised for a new Food Mission by April 30, 2008 up to $100,000. A major goal of the Society in Memphis is to expand the outreach and services to those served at the Food Mission. A larger and better facility is an important step toward achieving this goal.

An important "ingredient" which makes the Food Mission successful is the generosity of the volunteers. These volunteers come from many faiths, ages and backgrounds but all come in response to God's call to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Many have worked most of the 20 years the Food Mission has been open and some have just begun to volunteer. All of these individuals bring God's love and compassion to those they serve by personal contact. Other volunteers collect food donations, make monetary donations or clean and maintain the existing facility. The Food Mission is a place of welcome to the homeless primarily because of its volunteers.

Many times the guests tell us they would not have eaten if it had not been for the Food Mission. Recently a volunteer was at a restaurant when one of the staff asked if she did social work. She told him that she worked at the Saint Vincent de Paul Food Mission. He thanked her and said he had eaten there many times when things were rough. Now he has a good job and is doing well.

The Saint Vincent de Paul Food Mission touches the lives of literally thousands of people in many different ways. The guests find food, love and compassion when they need it. The volunteers find joy knowing they are helping God's sons and daughters. The gifts they receive from service to their brothers and sisters are priceless.