September is Hunger Action Month, a nationwide initiative to draw attention to hunger in America. But for one group of Case Western Reserve University students, they see hunger firsthand on a weekly basis as they do their part to lessen its impact on those in the Cleveland community.
Labre: A Homeless Outreach Ministry, a program offered through Case Catholic Newman Campus Ministry, brings a dozen or so students together each Monday to use food donations from the dining halls and other partners to prepare 50-60 meals in the basement kitchen of the Holy Rosary Church in Little Italy.
The hallmark of the program? Meeting people where they are. Students pack into vans to spend a few hours making their way through the city to hand deliver meals. Through partnerships with other organizations on campus and beyond, they also collect other useful items they can share, such as feminine hygiene products, flashlights, clothing and blankets. But it’s about more than food and other physical goods.
Beyond a warm meal, the students also offer a sense of community to those they encounter, regularly forming bonds with those they meet each week.
Last year, Peter Gittings and fellow students spent time getting to know a couple who had just relocated to Cleveland. A year later, the couple has moved into an apartment and the student volunteers continue to regularly visit and check in on them.
“Sometimes, we’ll spend half an hour catching up with someone, asking how they’re doing, and they’ll want to hear about us, too,” said Gittings, a fourth-year student majoring in finance. “Many of them even remember the names of the volunteers and ask about them if they can’t make it one week.”
Over time, the relationships turn into friendships.
View the gallery above to see the food preparation on a recent Monday afternoon. Want to join Labre on a run? Email labreinfo@case.edu.