St. Vincent de Paul meal ministry
serves more than food

(Second in a two-part series. Click here for part one.)

MEAL MINISTER -- Simona Rodriguez, assistant director of the St. Vincent de Paul Meal Ministry Program, pauses for one moment while guests walk through a meal line at the St. Vincent meal site on Madison Street in Milwaukee. (Photo by Sam Lucero)

MILWAUKEE -- With a downturn in the economy and cuts in donations and funding, the St. Vincent de Paul meal site on the southside is stretching to meet the needs of area children and the homeless.

From warm showers for the homeless to January school supplies for students who don't have enough material to finish the school year, the St. Vincent de Paul Meal Ministry in Milwaukee provides daily services beyond its meal programs. In April, the meal ministry in Milwaukee will celebrate 20 years of service.

But besides meeting other needs, the heart of this service centers around the table and food.

Greg Hannon, a former high school theology teacher, has been director of the St. Vincent de Paul Meal Ministry for 12 years. He oversees meals sites at 931 W. Madison St., and 2628 N. Martin Luther King Drive, at the former St. Gall Parish. In addition to the two meal ministry sites in Milwaukee County and one in Waukesha County, there are several St. Vincent de Paul food pantries at churches. Julia McIntyre, executive director of the Waukesha St. Vincent de Paul Society, said that program serves about 60 to 80 people on Monday evenings at St. Matthias Church. The program is overseen by volunteer Peg Fahl and is served by St. Vincent de Paul members.

Once homeless, she now serves others Simona Rodriguez, assistant director of the Milwaukee Meal Ministry Program, was once homeless herself -- with her nine children. For two weeks one summer in the 1980s, after Rodriguez fled an abusive husband, she lived in Washington Park with her children ranging in age from 9 months to 13 years. She sought out the southside meal site when she saw a line there and heard of "free food." Turned away by her mother and sister, who thought she should go back to her husband and beg forgiveness, Rodriguez refused and was eventually helped by a childhood friend. The friend and his wife took Rodriguez and her children in their pickup truck to a farmhouse in Racine County and helped her obtain welfare checks. But later when her mother became ill, Rodriguez returned to the southside to care for her. During that time, she obtained a job at the southside meal site. Now called "mom," especially by the teens who come to the center, Rodriguez said, "Sometimes in the summer with 600 to 700 people coming here, it gets overwhelming. But this is a family thing here -- my kids come here to help when I need it."

On a slow night, the southside Milwaukee meal program serves about 300 people: the northside, close to 150. During the summer when school is out, that number can jump to 700 to 800 people per night on the southside and approximately 450 people on the northside.

Decline in numbers, not necessarily positive

Hannon said since 2000, numbers in the meal program declined. "Only in the last six months have they climbed," he said. The reasons for the decline aren't always positive, said Hannon. Under the state's W-2 program, more people have returned to work, he noted. While there's a positive aspect of people obtaining work, "that doesn't mean they don't need us," he said. "They may work second shift when we have the meal programs," he noted.

In addition, he said, "We're seeing a tremendous difference in the population at the southside location that has gone from an even number of men, women and children to predominantly men. I think we still have the men we've always had -- we've lost women and children," he said.

He explained the Milwaukee Public Schools operate Community Learning Centers from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., where children receive breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hannon said in some ways the program is positive -- especially when you're a working mother and your children are alone most of the day. With the learning centers, the kids are off the streets and hopefully safe. On the other hand, he said, "You look at kids being away from home for most of the day -- it's almost like the state is taking over the kids, so it's a mixed blessing. But probably better than the alternative."

On the northside, the meal site still mainly serves families.

Hannon's paid staff includes assistant meal ministry director Simona Rodriguez and two on-site meal coordinators Oscar Rodriguez, Simona's son, on the southside, and Juanita Moore at the northside location. (See related sidebar.)

65 to 75 churches regularly volunteer

Besides that, 65 to 75 different churches send volunteers to prepare the food six nights a week, Sunday to Friday at the southside meal program and five nights a week Monday through Friday on the northside. Some government commodities, including vegetables, are also used.

High school and elementary school volunteers often assist the church members. According to Hannon, most of the kids don't understand poverty, but they learn quickly when serving in line. For example, some kids didn't understand why a number of the people would turn down a trail mix with nuts -- but then some of the guests -- some in their 30s -- told the kids they had no teeth.

"We do such a good job of getting our volunteers involved, what we really need help with is finances," said Hannon. For example, he's concerned about 300, 20-year-old chairs with aluminum legs. Some of them have broken while people sitting in them were eating. "We check them every day," he said. Hannon estimated the cost of replacing the chairs and 24 tables to be about $19,000.

While the meal ministry owns the northside building, it rents the southside facility, the lower level of a former public library, for $650 a month. Monthly utility costs at the sites are about $1,000.

'Healing Waters' offers showers

Recently the southside meal ministry also started sponsoring a program called "Healing Waters" enabling homeless people who sleep under nearby freeways and bridges to shower once a day or week.

Previously St. Luke's Hospital operated a clinic for the uninsured upstairs and used space next to the meal site for the showers. The clinic moved to National Avenue and Sixth Street, but the need for the showers is urgent. Besides their desire to stay clean, homeless people who usually have "crummy" shoes, said Hannon, often get their feet wet and run the risk of infections. Adults and children can come to "Healing Waters" for a shower from 3 to 6:30 p.m. when the meal program is in session, get a new change of clothes, toiletries, and stay for a warm meal.

Recently the meal ministry began collecting school supplies for the January semester. For a number of years, the meal site would collect back to school items for 200 to 250 neighborhood youth and give each child a bag of supplies. But in recent years Hannon said "other social service agencies were doing the same thing, so we didn't want to duplicate the same material. But what happened due to a decline in corporate funding is many kids only received a notebook, one pencil and a folder this year," he said. "We were so disappointed in that we decided to (collect) for the second semester," he said.

Some stories are heartwarming

As Hannon spoke in the southside meal site, faces of some of the homeless he has served and photographed hang on the wall, along with other pictures. It's his attempt to make the site more colorful and comfortable.

One of the pictures is of "Charlie." His kind, greyish-blue eyes peer out from a gray hood and through his grey whiskers there's a slight smile.

While all stories of their guests are not always heartwarming -- Charlie's is, said Hannon.

"About three years ago, we found Charlie laying out in front of the building in mid-90 degree temperatures, with a winter jacket and hood," said Hannon. "He wouldn't say a word. He just quietly mumbled. Over a period of three months, we took him to get a shower and took care of him. After eight months, we got him into Oakland Manor, for people with disabilities.

Eventually Charlie stopped mumbling, started to smile and develop relationships at the meal site. Then one night before Christmas, I had a woman who called me and said I've been looking for my father -- he's been missing for three years -- his name is Charlie.... So the woman picked Charlie up and took him home."

Hannon described Charlie as a typical homeless person. "You don't know who people are. Who knows who is coming through the door. One man who comes here is called "professor" by a number of the people here," he said.

"We have a moral imperative not just to feed these people as a Catholic community, we need to add more direction. To me the meal is a conduit to go beyond what we're to do in the Gospel. When we're just feeding people we're missing the boat. To me people are here because they're alone and broken; they're not here to just fill their stomachs."

Volunteers should do more than serve food

Hannon sometimes becomes frustrated with volunteers who see their roles as serving meals. "Sometimes people say, 'there's nothing here for me to do, so I'm going home.' As great as the ministry of food here is, the best thing you can do is sit down and have a meal with people. This should be a community meal. People from surrounding churches should come here for a meal and celebrate Eucharist."

Hannon wants guests who come for the meal to become part of the community.

However, he also realizes some people will try to abuse the meal program, and not move ahead when offered help to improve their lives.

He's wrestled with the dilemma of dependency. "The way I resolved that is people aren't just here for food. They're here for other people. I don't have to sort that out. God will. If I'm living according to the Gospels I'm doing OK. I can look (at dependency) through the eyes of psychology and sociology, but if I don't temper that with the Scriptures I'm lost."