Several years ago, after Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach Center moved to their present location on North 27th St., homeless people and families started showing up at our doors at our St. Joseph Center (located at 23rd and O streets) for something to eat. For those living in the area without a car and for those in the streets, it is too far a walk to the several places in town that serve meals. Since a typical food pantry like ours supplies groceries, not meals, we decided to start handing out ready-to-eat food rather than bus passes.
At first we started handing out salads and sandwiches from several local grocery stores in town, but it soon became apparent that this was not enough. We decided to start a sack lunch program patterned after our Hastings Sack Lunch Program which is a collaborative effort between Catholic Social Services and multiple other entities and denominations in the Hastings area.
Ten years ago, we noticed a need in Hastings, and the rest is history. Last year, our sack lunch program in Hastings served almost 45,000 sack lunches – not bad for a town with a population of a little over 25,000. One has to remember though; this program is 10 years old.
At our St. John Vianney Center in Hastings, during normal business hours, anyone can receive a nutritious lunch, no questions asked. Since the word has spread, even those who live within driving distances pull up for a sack lunch. By the appearances of some of the cars, I know the people are truly in need.
In January, our Lincoln Sack Lunch Program celebrated its first anniversary. Last year, from our downtown Lincoln location, we served 5,000 lunches.
As in the beginning of our Hastings program, it took a while for the news to get out. Each month, there has been a steady increase in the number of meals served. Now anyone can receive a sack lunch, no questions asked, Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
I would like to thank our 46 volunteers from multiple parishes in Lincoln for all they are doing to feed Jesus who lives in the hungry (Mt 25:31-46)! If anyone is interested in jumping aboard, please send me an email!
