Loyola University Chicago are feeding the mouths of the homeless in Chicago one peanut butter and jelly sandwich at a time.
Loyola students are joining together Thursday nights at the Terry Student Center, not to party like many college students, but to reach out and connect with those who walk the cold streets of Chicago with no home to go to at night.
Who They Are
The Labre (pronounced lah-bra) Ministry is a student-led outreach program in its’ first year at Loyola. Students provide food and companionship to the homeless on the streets downtown.
The students get together Thursday night at 6pm to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and also fill bags with chips, bananas and juice boxes. They end the first portion with a prayer and then head out onto the streets in three small groups, with their arms full of food and their hearts full of warmth.
The three groups venture out into different areas of the downtown Chicago area. They try and stick to the same paths every week, so they can visit the same people and really make a lasting connection.
Homelessness in Chicago
Chicago is one of the largest cities in the country and it is easy to feel lost and alone on the streets. 73,656 men, women, youths, and children were homeless in Chicago during 2006, according to a study from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH).
Out To The Streets
Now begins the three hour prayer.
Once out on the street, there is no escaping what is staring right at you. The face of someone who has no home or family to turn to. The face of someone who needs a friend. The face of someone who has a story.
The students of Labre are there to listen to those stories. They are there to make a difference in these people's lives.
“I have volunteered at soup kitchens before, but I didn’t like how I couldn’t get a chance to talk to anyone, otherwise I’d be holding up the line,” says Joselyn, a freshmen Loyola student.
Many people agree that this program is not about the sandwiches or even the fun juice boxes. It is about reaching out to people on a level one may normally not venture on.
The Labre students start up conversations with the men and women on the streets and sometimes are surprised to find out how much they may have in common with certain people. They connect in ways of growing up in the same area, or they come from the same state. They also can bond by speaking a different language they both know.
Many people only see the person on the outside, when walking down the street, but Labre sees the people on the inside as well.
“Labre has helped me grow in my faith by allowing me an opportunity to practice that faith and grow in solidarity with those the ministry serves, which I believe is both the students as well as the poor,” says Caulder Mellino of his experience with the program.
How They Began
Labre was started by Caulder Mellino, a sophomore student at Loyola, with the help of other student leaders. The program originated from St Ignacious High School in Cleveland, Ohio, where Mellino attended school, and he carried the idea over to Loyola where it resides within the Ministry program.
“Labre for me is a great opportunity for me to grow in my experience and understanding of Solidarity,” says Mellino.
How Can You Help?
What can you do to help out the homeless? Here are some programs that always welcome volunteers:
• Greater Chicago Food Depository
• Connections For the Homeless
• REST
• Good News Soup Kitchen
What else can you do to help out the homeless or those less fortunate?
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