With the coronavirus surging on, many homeless people in several communities suffer from the scarcity of food and general supplies to keep them going through these difficult times. To help these communities, a church called St. Matthew Korean Catholic Church planned a “one meal movement” program to provide food and supplies for those in need.
St. Matthew Korean Catholic Church had been brainstorming ways that they could help their community. With the main priest’s idea, the church began collecting donations to help fund the “one meal movement” program. People from out of the state and even places far away from the church’s location gave a helping hand toward raising money for the thoughtful event. After collecting enough donations, the church bought and prepared many different types of food to bring to the homeless centers.
The packaged bag that the people in need received included a fresh bagel (or other kind of bread), fruits (like oranges and bananas), hard-boiled eggs, bottled water, socks, and a mask. At first, it was difficult for the people working at the church to decide on a certain menu, but soon they settled on a combination of foods that would satisfy everybody. Every Thursday of the week, a few volunteers from the church, as well as the priest, visit the homeless people to deliver the bags that they had created. Therefore, before each Thursday, these volunteers would meet in advance to prepare everything needed for the delivery. As the packages include personal protective equipment such as masks and not only food, they help the people in need even more. When the volunteers arrive at the homeless centers, they put out the boxes that hold the bags of prepared supplies and food so that the homeless can safely pick up a bag one at a time. Due to the low availability of the bags, the supplies are only one per person, however the church will continue to work towards providing more and more depending on the amount of donations they receive.
With the help of many donors, the church has been able to continue their “one meal movement” program. Although the volunteers must be very careful, as the coronavirus is still a great issue, the church believes that this is the least they can do to support those who are without supplies during this time period. The church has decided to think of the people at the homeless shelters as their family, even though they are not able to attend gatherings with the other members of the church. St. Matthew Korean Catholic Church hopes to continue with this program to spread hope and love towards the homeless people who are going through hard times without food or supplies.
