Mobile Loaves and Fishes Summer Lunch Program

by Jeff Haecker

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus uses the image of food to convey his message. It is not coincidence that He called Himself the Bread of Life, and that He chooses to remain with us in the appearance of bread in the Eucharist. Hunger is something that all humans have felt, and can understand, and as we hunger for Christ, so do our bodies for the worldly food we need. For most it is not a problem to satisfy it. We can simply go to the fridge or cabinet and take something out, or go out to a restaurant. We even eat when we are not hungry. In fact as I am writing this I am eating a bag of trail mix, even though I ate a meal only a few hours ago. We take for granted this easy access to and abundance of food. Unfortunately for many, this simple convenience is out of reach. Those who are homeless or too poor to afford food go hungry. Even children, who rely on their parents or caretakers to eat, go hungry if their parents can’t afford to feed them. When they are in school, government funding provides lunches for each student, but during the summer they do not have access to these lunches. That is where the partnership between Mobile Loaves and Fishes and Catholic Charities of Central Texas comes in.

Mobile Loaves and Fishes, founded in 1998 at St. John Neumann’s parish, delivers meals to the homeless around Austin. This ministry has expanded to include more parishes in Austin as well as to other cities. There are two teams involved in the program, one to make sandwiches and load a truck and the other to drive to locations in Austin and provide a sack lunch to those in need. The Angels of Hope Food Pantry, a program run by Catholic Charities, is open to serve the local area of downtown Austin, and provides 7-10 days of emergency food to any who need it. Catholic Charities also works to help those in need achieve self-sufficiency and works with the government and it’s agencies to alleviate the poverty that is holding so many down. Normally the Mobile Loaves and Fishes trucks go out a few times a week in the evenings, but this summer, Mobile Loaves and Fishes is partnering with Catholic Charities of Central Texas for a Summer Lunch Program to deliver lunches twice a week to those children that will be without their school lunches this summer.

The program began on June 8th and will run through July 8th on Mondays and Wednesdays, with a goal of feeding 1000 children with dignity and abundance. The program will provide healthy lunches to children, allowing them to choose what they would like to eat, such as the kind of sandwich, fruit, chips milk, and juice along with books and small toys. In doing this we are living by Christ’s example to show each child that they are not forgotten and that they are human beings worthy of love and respect. For the volunteers, it is an opportunity to serve and encounter those less fortunate, and not only to be blessed enough to serve them but to also see Christ in them.

We are all part of the Body of Christ, and if one part of the Body is hurting, then the whole Body is hurt. If one part of the Body is healed then the whole experiences that as well. The hope is that there is an outpouring of interest and support so that next year the program can be expanded to run all summer. Meg Kee, the Coordinator of the Angels of Hope Food Pantry at Catholic Charities and the coordinator of the summer lunch pilot program stated that she receives “the satisfaction of knowing these kids won't go hungry - at least not for that one meal, as well as the knowledge that we are meeting Christ's command to serve.”