It is easy to recall the New Testament story of the miracle of the loaves and fishes, when one watches the Feed the Hungry ministry bring Saturday and Sunday lunches to guests at the Interfaith Community Shelter. Feed the Hungry is a multi-congregational group that cooks and delivers nutritious meals to the Shelter, adding another rich layer to the family and community we strive to foster for our guests. The group usually feeds 90 people at each weekend lunch.
“Feed the Hungry was originally known as ‘Sunday Lunch in the Park’,” Dora Horn, volunteer and coordinator of Feed the Hungry, said. “For years, we served outside at Ashbaugh Park and then moved to the Salvation Army parking lot. Later, it was the parking lot at Pete’s Place and now, we’ve moved inside Pete’s Place.”
Numerous congregations make up Feed the Hungry, and ICS is so grateful for their support and service for weekend lunches.
Many congregations also bring additional food that guests can carry with them when they leave. Every Sunday, volunteer Preston Ellsworth picks up “day-old” bread donated from Whole Foods and delivers it to Pete’s Place. And each week, the Amma Center of New Mexico delivers wrapped bean burritos that its volunteers have made. Usually, there is a piece of fruit for guests to take, too.
According to Dora, she really doesn’t do much coordinating these days because this generous group, which started nearly 25 years ago, really “runs itself!” The congregations and groups typically make lunch off-site and then deliver it to Pete’s Place ready to serve. “Either Anna, Maddie or Desiree, who are all part of the ICS staff, are there to help us,” Dora said. “Serving inside – instead of a park or parking lot – is definitely more convenient and having the staff’s help is invaluable.”
Dora and her husband, Van, are members of The Church of Holy Faith and are very involved in this ministry. They have registered the church to be an official agency at the Food Depot and therefore can purchase food there at a reduced cost when the group serves lunch at Pete’s Place. The fourth Sunday of the month is Holy Faith’s turn to serve lunch, and the Thursday morning before is shopping day at the Food Depot. The menu depends on what’s available at the Depot, but fifteen dozen eggs are always on the grocery list. Hard-boiled on Sunday morning, the eggs are easy for the guests to carry with them and are a filling protein.
“Feed the Hungry is a team effort,” Dora said. “There is nothing more rewarding than cooking with friends on Sunday morning at the church! But the best reward? It’s when the shelter guests express their thanks – sometimes even hearing a ‘God bless you!’ Now, that is a WOWZA!”
FOR AN EXPERT PERSPECTIVE ON HOMELESSNESS, WE’RE INTRODUCING
Our readers are concerned citizens and care about the social and economic issues surrounding homelessness. A new feature on Interfaith Community Shelter’s website is "Joe’s Blog".
Please read, subscribe, share and comment! Our goal is to begin a constructive community conversation that will result in real change. Your contributions to the blog can make that happen. (Subscribe in the column to the right of the post, and we will send you an email when new posts arrive.)
For those of you who don’t know him, Joe Jordan-Berenis, ICS’s Executive Director, has been working with homeless youth and adults since the early 1980s, when he helped turn a small non-profit in Woodstock, New York into a multi-million dollar human services agency. The blog is his expert perspective on the homeless crisis and our community’s response to it.
UPDATED SIGNS AT PETE’S PLACE WELCOME THE COMMUNITY
Take a look at the new signs on the building and signpost at Interfaith Community Shelter. We’re proud of the good work we do! These signs are part of the updates from the Meet Our Match Campaign. More work is on its way, including the outside awning financed in part by the Rotary Club of Santa Fe. You can read more about the renovations and the benefits for our guests and volunteers; follow this link to an article in The New Mexican published last week.
WANTED: VOLUNTEER GROUPS TO BRING DINNER!
There are open dates next week at the end of January (and other open dates in March, April and May) where we need church or civic groups – or your BFFs – to bring dinner to our guests! Can you help us out and volunteer? Check the volunteer calendar for open dates, and call Sue at 505.795.7494.
WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR…
The generosity of our volunteers and the Santa Fe community during the holiday season.
The string ensemble comprised of students from Rio Grande School who performed holiday songs on New Year’s Eve Day.
Generous donations from United Church of Santa Fe, First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe and Westminster Presbyterian Church who organized Christmas fundraisers on behalf of Pete’s Place.
All our guests – but especially a guest who observed during the festivities at Pete’s Place: “Whoever thought a bunch of homeless people could be happy at Christmas?”
“Feed the Hungry was originally known as ‘Sunday Lunch in the Park’,” Dora Horn, volunteer and coordinator of Feed the Hungry, said. “For years, we served outside at Ashbaugh Park and then moved to the Salvation Army parking lot. Later, it was the parking lot at Pete’s Place and now, we’ve moved inside Pete’s Place.”
According to Dora, she really doesn’t do much coordinating these days because this generous group, which started nearly 25 years ago, really “runs itself!” The congregations and groups typically make lunch off-site and then deliver it to Pete’s Place ready to serve. “Either Anna, Maddie or Desiree, who are all part of the ICS staff, are there to help us,” Dora said. “Serving inside – instead of a park or parking lot – is definitely more convenient and having the staff’s help is invaluable.” 
Place. The fourth Sunday of the month is Holy Faith’s turn to serve lunch, and the Thursday morning before is shopping day at the Food Depot. The menu depends on what’s available at the Depot, but fifteen dozen eggs are always on the grocery list. Hard-boiled on Sunday morning, the eggs are easy for the guests to carry with them and are a filling protein. 
There are open dates next week at the end of January (and other open dates in March, April and May) where we need church or civic groups – or your BFFs – to bring dinner to our guests! Can you help us out and volunteer? Check the 
