The temperature on the late December morning was brisk, like most winter mornings. Dozens of people were waiting outside for the St. John's Breadline to open and begin serving a nutritious hot lunch. For some, it would be their only meal that day.
Guests
They are not referred to as "homeless" or "poor." Rather, Mark Buttrell, Catholic Charities Springfield area director, calls them "guests."
"No questions asked. Anyone who walks through the door of St. John's Breadline can get a tray and get a hot meal."
Buttrell acknowledged that there was an uptick in the number of meals served last year. A ministry of Catholic Charities, St. John's Breadline serves more than 600 meals a day, seven days a week. One of Shawna Harris' long-term goals as manager is to add a breakfast component at the Breadline.
A large cadre of volunteers is essential to success. Head cook Cinda Berger is a Breadline mainstay of more than 12 years. She knows the guests by name and for keeping track of their dietary do's and don'ts.
Success at the Breadline depends on a mixture of Springfield area parish involvement through providing volunteers on site, or by preparing and delivering a variety of dishes and desserts each day.
"Between our serving line, people cleaning the dishes and wiping off the tables, we always need volunteers," continued Buttrell. "All a person has to do is call and get on our schedule to come in and volunteer."
On the corporate side, in 2015, Schnuck's, as it has for many years, provided more than 7,000 loaves of bread for one of the largest fundraisers, "Breadline Sunday." In addition, Schnuck's donates expired loaves of bread and other foodstuffs daily. The Breadline also receives commodities from the Springfield-based Central Illinois Food Bank which distributes million of pounds of food annually to more than 150 food pantries, soup kitchens, residential programs and after-school programs in a 21 county region.
A notable volunteer
After guests ate their meal, they stopped by the Breadline's commodities table where they could select from breads, vegetables and other staples to take with them. Greeting them that day with gentle banter and a wide smile was the Bishop of Springfield in Illinois.
"I have no idea what faith most of the people here receiving the food is; we don't ask them," said Bishop Thomas John Paprocki. "Not all of our volunteers are even Catholic. We have volunteers from different faith communities throughout Springfield."
"I'd starve"
One of a dining room full of grateful guests that day included Theotis Powers.
"It means a lot, I'd starve. I can get me a good meal and get warm," said Powers who frequents the Breadline every day to supplement monthly assistance he receives from the state of Illinois.
Jubilee Year of Mercy
Feed the hungry is the first of the corporal works of mercy that Pope Francis invited all Catholics to reassert in this extraordinary Year of Mercy.
" … live in our daily lives the mercy which the Father constantly extends to us," wrote the pope in his letter declaring the Year of Mercy. For the many volunteers at St. John's Breadline, they're off to a flying start.
Editor's note — Catholic Times invites you and your parish to let us know about particular works of corporal and spiritual mercy undertaken during the Jubilee Year. Please contact me at or Associate Editor Diane Schlindwein at . If you prefer, our telephone number is (217) 698-8500.