Social Ministry at College Church

“Hot Stuff” and “Cool Stuff”

Hot Stuff (February 14, 2009) and Cool Stuff (August 15, 2009) are annual events that provide a meal and essential clothing items to homeless and low income people in the City. The events are entirely parish run and supported and are important days not only for our guests but also for our parishioners who look forward to meeting our guests and sharing a meal. For Cool Stuff, the lunch is hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, soda, and desert items; for Hot Stuff, home made chili and soups, coffee, tea, and desert items. Cool Stuff and Hot Stuff are coordinated by parishioner (and staff member) Ruth Cochran. If you are interested in volunteering to help cook food or to staff either Cool Stuff or Hot Stuff, contact Ruth at cochranr@slu.edu.

Casserole Program to Benefit St. Patrick Center

St. Patrick Center (800 N. Tucker) provides free daily nutritious lunches to homeless clients who come to the Center for treatment/services related to substance abuse, transitional living, job training, independent living skills, GED, job placement, childcare, transportation assistance, and more.

St. Patrick Center specifies recipes and provides 12”x10”x2.5” aluminum casserole pans to volunteer groups, who are instructed to purchase the ingredients, prepare, bake and then freeze the casseroles prior to delivery to the Center. St. Patrick Center heats the casseroles and supplements the meals with salads, fruit, and side dishes. Volunteers at St. Patrick Center serve lunch each day to 250-300 people!

Casseroles prepared by our parishioners are delivered to St. Patrick Center the first Tuesday of every month and can be made from any Chili Mac recipe. Parishioners can prepare and freeze the casserole any time throughout the month and then drop it at the Pariah Center. A parish volunteer delivers all of the casseroles to St. Patrick Center. Our parish provides at least 24 casseroles every month.

If you are interested in joining our parish’s casserole team or if you have questions, please call the Parish Center at 977-7300 to leave your name and number. Mary Claire Voss, the program coordinator, will return your call.

Sandwich Programs

There are two Sandwich Programs:

1) Parishioner Lea Koesterer coordinates volunteers who make 320 bologna and cheese sandwiches on the 2nd Sunday of each month after the 10:30 am mass in Room 14 of the Parish Center. They then deliver them to Karen Catholic Worker House. Usually just 8 people participate each month, so if you want to help, feel free to just show up at the specified time.

2) Students in our Parish Religious Education program, coordinated by staff member Angie Doerr, provide and make bologna and cheese sandwiches for our Outreach Program. Our visitors, who consume over 250 sandwiches each month, are very appreciative. Some even come just for the sandwich and cookies that we provide.