MINISTRY OVERVIEW

Parish volunteers serve meals to the homeless and the poor at Sacred Heart Church in Jersey City on the second Saturday of each month. The group leaves the St. Peter's parking lot after the 9:00 a.m. Mass and returns by 2:30 p.m. Parishioners may join this effort on any Saturday they want as their time permits. To ensure that there are enough volunteers, parishioners who are interested in attending should contact one of the coordinators ahead of time.

Contact:

Ed Bowen 

(201) 599-9601

Email

Social Concerns Core Committee Contacts:
Steve Sahagian

(201-265-9048) and
Steve Citarella

 (201-265-1317)

Volunteers from St. Peter the Apostle Parish have been feeding the homeless at St. Martin's Kitchen, located at Sacred Heart Parish in Jersey City, since November 1995.  Volunteers purchase, cook, and serve meals to as many as 240 homeless men, women and children per month.  The group assembles in the parking lot of St. Peter's after the 9 a.m. mass on the second Saturday of each month and travels to Jersey City, where we set up tables, seating, and serving stations.  At 12 noon the doors are opened and food is served until 1 p.m.  After clean-up we return to River Edge, usually by 2:15 p.m.

  We are in need of additional help to continue this important and direct service to the poor.

 

HISTORY OF ST. MARTIN'S KITCHEN

St. Martin's Kitchen was founded in 1986 by Sacred Heart Parish to provide a nutritious meal to the homeless of Jersey City on the weekends.  There are other meal programs, but they operate only Monday through Friday.  It is named after St. Martin de Porres, a Dominican saint who lived in Lima, Peru in the 17th Century.  Because of his concern and care for the poor, he was described by Pope Paul VI at his canonization as the "Apostle of Charity."  Sr. Elaine Keenan, O.P. and Anne Marie Huber direct the work of the Kitchen and several parishes provide meals, each on a different Saturday.
 

ST. PETER'S INVOLVEMENT

In the Spring of 1995 Ed Bowen chaperoned a youth group visiting St. Martin's Kitchen.  He learned that some additional help was needed for the summer months and obtained Fr. Slipe's approval to solicit volunteers from St. Peter's.  Additionally, Fr. Slipe committed the parish to provide the funding for the meals.  During June, July and August of 1995 our first meals were cooked and served to the homeless at St. Martin's Kitchen.  By November 1995 a need developed for us to continue this ministry on a monthly basis and the parish Social Concerns Committee voted to fund this ministry out of our parish Social Concerns budget.

In addition to our adult volunteers, we are often accompanied by several Confirmation candidates and their parents.  Several families have also accompanied us.  This makes St. Martin's Kitchen Project one of the few inter-generational ministries of the parish.

BREAD FOR THE HOMELESS

Every week members of St. Peter's pick up baked goods from CPC Baking in Totowa and/or Sacred Heart Parish in Rochelle Park and transport the products to Sacred Heart in Jersey City for distribution to the homeless.  Pick-ups are usually done on Friday morning.

  Volunteers are needed.  Can you help, even one Friday per month?