Women’s basketball transfers
Danaejah Grant and Selina Archer spent some on their Thanksgiving break volunteering at St. John’s Bread and Life. The two visited the charity program to cook a warm meal for low-income families who would not be able to have a lunch otherwise.
St. John’s Bread and Life, which has been in existence for over 30 years, is a program formerly under St. John the Baptist Parish in Brooklyn. As it rapidly grew, the program was transferred from the Diocese of Brooklyn to St. John’s University.
St. John’s Bread and Life offers more than the stationary soup kitchen. It also offers a mobile soup kitchen that reaches out and offers hot meals to New York’s most impoverished communities who may not have the means to travel to the stationary soup kitchen. In addition to the two kitchens, St. John’s Bread and Life also houses a food pantry that provides uncooked meals for those who would be unable to provide food for their families otherwise.
Through the soup kitchen, mobile soup kitchen and food pantry St. John’s Bread and Life offers more than 3,500 meals each day, 365 days a year, to the impoverished, homeless and hungry.
The day before Thanksgiving, Grant and Archer, along with St. John’s staff members, served breakfast and lunch to a crowd of 3,000.
The day started at 10 a.m., with the serving of hot chocolate to warm people up and provide a cozy and welcoming
atmosphere. As the day progressed, lunch was served and aimed at a more traditional Thanksgiving meal.
“As a university with a Vincentian mission, helping those in need, we’re out there at the forefront just like the
students and faculty trying to give back,” women’s basketball head coach Joe
Tartamella said.
St. John’s Bread and Life opted to serve its Thanksgiving on Wednesday rather than Thursday to add some extra pep and get a head start for the holiday season that annually cycles feelings of welcoming and comforting feelings.
As a Vincentian university, St. John’s aims to keep in the footsteps of St.
Vincent de Paul who served as a
vessel of service for the poor in France. Now, as one of three Vincentian
Universities in the United States, St. John’s
continues its mission to provide for to the poor through various programs such as St. John’s Bread and Life, the Ronald McDonald House and Midnight Runs, among others.
