HAMMOND – For some Calumet Region residents, obtaining a meal can be an exercise in uncertainty. A ministry at a downtown Hammond parish has helped bring food security to visitors, serving free lunches for nearly four decades.
At St. Joseph church, Manna for Hammond was developed as a meet-the-need ministry, imitating the kindness of a former pastor’s efforts. Generations of volunteers have staffed the food service initiative as strategies have adapted to different economic conditions and public health issues.
Commonly known as the “St. Joseph Soup Kitchen,” volunteers said whatever people call the charitable initiative, it has always been identified as a mission of kindness and a way to satisfy one of the Corporal Works of Mercy.
“This is really a great effort,” said Mary Jo Mazur. “We keep doing this because our Church mission is to see the face of Christ in people … can we only see him in professional people?”
Mazur, a longtime St. Joseph parishioner, joined the volunteer Manna crew last year. She believes the service shows how church members recognize the unique role the parish has had in the once-bustling downtown.
Looking at the beautiful stained glass windows on the stately church, she added, “We’re still a presence in Hammond, and people see that.”
Recalling stories of the ministry’s early days, she spoke about how in the 1980s, when nearby Calumet City, Ill. featured many taverns on State Street, Father Joseph Vamos would help those who stayed out a bit too late. He packaged peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches and water to help those congregating in the vicinity of the church.
Manna for Hammond, a name which recalls the stories in Exodus and Numbers of God providing a mysterious food for his people, officially opened in October 1985. Since then, thousands have been served, according to ministry director Ray Moreno.
“I never know how many people we’ll get. If I (prepare) for 60 and get 60, I feed 60, if I get more people I make more meals,” said Moreno, who volunteered at the soup kitchen for five years before taking the position of director six years ago. “We’ve been blessed to get donations … I do need more volunteers.”
The St. Joseph charity accomplishes its service to the hungry without receiving public, taxpayer money from local, county, state, or federal governments. Instead, Moreno said managers from local bakeries, fruit markets and grocers send foodstuff to the Hammond church, where volunteers assemble meals. Many individuals make financial contributions to the ministry.
With gratitude, Moreno wished to single out Strack & Van Til as the most consistent donor of foods and bakery items, and steady financial contributions from St. Thomas More in Munster.
On the kitchen wall is a bulletin board featuring photos, notes and obituaries clippings of the first generation of volunteers that helped get Manna off the ground. In particular, Moreno recalled a late friend, Mark Taylor, who, for years, had been his assistant.
“He would do so much for us, there was no end to his (dedication,)” said Moreno. With the loss of his right-hand man, and the restrictions against indoor dining, Moreno said it is difficult for him to see expansion of the ministry anytime soon.
Many plans changed after the arrival of the pandemic. What had been a sit-down dining experience in the church basement featuring open-face meals and various deserts morphed into a sack lunch giveaway. Tough economic times keep visitors walking up the church drive or riding their bikes right to the door.
Marge Kovacik, an Our Lady of Grace, Highland, parishioner, joined Mazur at the soup kitchen on a recent weekday (the ministry serves clients on weekdays for an hour starting at noon). Since 2020, the health safety protocol has clients queue up at a side door. Volunteers greet people and provide each with a to-go lunch.
Despite the distancing and masking some choose to wear, the interactions are personable. Often heard at the church door are, “Hi, how are you?” and a corresponding “Thank you very much.”
“Have a blessed day,” is one response that may relate to the feeling Kovacik said she gets when volunteering at Manna.
“I wanted to make a difference,” said Kovacik, who initially responded to a neighbor’s conversation about the St. Joseph ministry. “I think this gives people a sense that we’re all connected; everybody needs help.”
Kovacik, a part-time accounts receivable clerk added, “I hope this program continues for a long time to come.”
A woman describing herself as a “grandma from Hammond” greeted the Manna volunteers. Before walking away with a bagged lunch and water bottle, she offered her thoughts about the ministry she has visited often in recent months.
“I love it, they couldn’t do any better than this,” she said. “They really look after the homeless people – and during the winter months they give scarves, socks and gloves.”
“They are so friendly,” she said before thanking the volunteers again for helping “with a little food that we didn’t have.”
Another fruit of the St. Joseph ministry is the cooperation among Catholic and Protestant churches. First Baptist of Hammond operates a men’s shelter where some Manna clients are assisted. They sometimes refer their guests for lunch at the parish.
A short drive south on Hohman Avenue is the First Presbyterian Church, whose volunteers pick up the ministry when Manna is closed, mainly on federal and Church holidays.
St. Joseph volunteers don’t claim they can eradicate poverty or hunger, but rather recognize God in those they serve.
Helping “the least of God’s people,” is a directive found in Matthew 25, and a message that is heeded by those who continue to support Manna for Hammond.
“We truly are people helping people,” said Moreno.
For more information about Manna for Hammond, call Ray Moreno at 219-931-7682.