St. CHARLES—For anyone in need of a hot meal and friendship in the Fox Valley area, St. Patrick Parish offers a free community meal on the third Monday of every month, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Starting with just a couple dozen people in December 2017, the “Loaves and Fishes” event has grown and now serves around 200 monthly meals: hot dinners, salads, desserts and beverages.
At the Jan. 19 dinner, Father Ian Ordoñez, parochial vicar, gave a blessing and stayed for the meal.
“This is an event that allows for the community, whether they are Catholics or not, to come together and be served and serve one another around the table and around prayer,” he said.
He added that it is “an opportunity for Christ to feed us, and for us to be fed by God here with fraternity, a little bit of prayer and food, and be able to take that Christian witness back to our families.”
Families, friendships, and centenary celebrations
Many meal attendees have found opportunities for good conversation and even good friendship.
One widower told organizers he used to eat alone every day at a fast-food restaurant after his wife passed away, until he learned of the “Loaves and Fishes” dinner. He was just looking for someone to talk to, said Pat Reding, the volunteer greeter.
Terry Ray started coming after her neighbors encouraged her. She often went with her centenarian mother. When volunteers first found out her mother was 100 years old, they threw a party for her.
“Then every year, for six years, they scheduled a party for her, and every year the party was more elaborate and better,” said an enthusiastic Ray. “They had children singing for her, a gentleman playing the violin, and they had roses on the table and special table cloths, and she just absolutely loved it … she loved coming here.”
On Dec. 15, grandfather Jeffry Jalser and his grandson had a “guys night out,” he said. He described the dinner
as “fabulous.”
Serving each person –personally
What makes this dinner different from others in the area?
For the volunteers, it’s about hospitality with a personal touch.
“It is a sit-down, served meal, like if you were in a restaurant,” said Teri Hoscheit, coordinator. “We have servers that come out and serve the food.”
For personalized service at the entrance, each person is provided with a name tag so they can be called by their name when they are being served.
“We don’t always know who needs help, who doesn’t need help. We make them feel comfortable here; we don’t judge,” explained Reding.
“We offer a takeout service — some people just come for carry-out and leave; some people eat one meal and take one meal home with them, or share with a neighbor,” said Hoscheit. The ministry also delivers some meals to people who, for different circumstances, can’t make it to the event.
There are also “themes for Christmas and Thanksgiving,” with featured guests including carolers, members of the St. Patrick Choir and St. Patrick Sanctuary Mental Health Wellness Ministry, Hoscheit added.
Volunteer impact
This event is possible each month thanks to the volunteers: setting up, greeting, cooking, serving, cleaning, and donating.
Celeste Marc was one of the first coordinators of the St. Patrick meals, which were inspired by a similar event in Elgin. She says there are “abundant” volunteers.
“The relationship that we have with the community here… they are so appreciative, kind and grateful,” she said. The dinner is “a special place to be for parishioners and
non-parishioners.”
Irma de los Santos recalled how she started coming to St. Patrick. “For four years we lived in the hotel, I felt sad at that time… I asked for a Catholic church I can walk to. I found this church,” she said.
She found support and made new friends. Now she enjoys setting up tables and serving at the meals as a volunteer.
Thanks to donations, “the Bible’s ‘loaves and fishes’ story has rung true on many occasions during the preparation of our meals,” said Hoscheit. “Either someone miraculously walks in the door with the food we need, or we find it in our freezer or our St. Vincent DePaul food pantry.”
The “Loaves and Fishes” community dinner stands out for the quality of its food, service and interactions. And as guests bring home good memories, they can also take a loaf of bread and even, sometimes, a book or religious article —
always a surprise.
