Serving the Hungry Year-Round

"All the brothers are to preach by their works."

-- Rule of St. Francis, Chapter XVII

Sage, rosemary, black pepper and poultry roasting in the oven - the smell of a Thanksgiving dinner - came early to Sister Laura Zelten's home this month.  On All Saints Day, she and Sister Ann Rehrauer were busy preparing 20 pounds of chicken, some vegetables and gravy to serve that evening at St. John the Evangelist Homeless Shelter in downtown Green Bay.  With help from Sister Marietta Samz and a few other volunteers, the Sisters had enough to feed 45 people on the opening evening of the shelter's seventh season.

"We try to prepare something that's healthy and balanced," says Sister Laura. "We want it to be special like a Sunday dinner so there's meat and potatoes, veggies and dessert" along with milk, juice and decaffeinated coffee.

During the shelter's November-to-April operating season, about a dozen Sisters (Francis Bangert, Mary Berg, Monica Bongert, Ann Margaret Carmody, Agnes Fischer, Gerri Krautkramer, Madonna Swintkoske and Joanne Williams along with Sisters Ann, Laura and Marietta) help prepare and serve meals once a month, donate personal hygiene products, fold laundry, manage the shower schedule or offer hospitality to guests by playing cards, assembling puzzles, or simply dining with them.

On the surface, the tasks such as managing the shower schedule may seem routine -- until Sister Ann talks about one encounter.  "A young man talked about seeing his son (outside the regular visitation schedule), and asked about changing the shower schedule so he could be clean for his visit with his son," she says.

Finding the sacred in the ordinary has been Sister Madonna's experience, too.  "I see them as individuals who laugh, cry, fear, express anger, hope, tell jokes, enjoy good food and, above all, are very grateful for all that is done for them," she says.  

When the shelter first opened, Sister Madonna cooked meals; now she volunteers as a hostess.  "In these last years I wasn't feeding them a meal, but maybe by my interest in them -- listening to them talk, joining with them in their activities -- I was feeding them in another way.  Likewise, they were feeding me."

The Sisters' outreach to the hungry extends beyond St. John's Homeless Shelter.  For example:

• St. Patrick's food pantry on Green Bay's west side was started by Sister Louise Hunt in 1976 to help 13 families. Most recently, the pantry served 456 families in October.  The pantry relies on support from many parishes and schools such as Holy Cross in Bay Settlement.  "We bring non-perishable food items to each All School Mass" in November and December, says second-grade teacher Sister Carolyn Zahringer.   "It's a school- and parish-wide effort to make sure St. Patrick's has enough items on their shelves to make it through two holiday times."

• Sisters Mary Berg, Francis Bangert and Agnes Fischer volunteer at the annual Ecumenical Christian Outreach Thanksgiving Dinner hosted at Lambeau Field. "I've been blessed with so much of God's abundant goodness that I decided to make someone else's Thanksgiving special," says Sister Fran. "I always feel I receive so much more than I give."

• As pastoral associate for five parishes in the Denmark, Wisconsin, area, Sister Gerri Krautkramer helps collect food for the needy.  "It seems that each year we have more families in need," she says. "We do parish collections for the hungry and poor.  Our youth have taken a couple weeks of collecting for Freedom House in Green Bay."

• In Door County, Sister Angela Palm helps people who come to Stella Maris Parish seeking food, shelter, clothing, or even car repairs. "I process this information and see to it they get what they need in conjunction with Social Services in Sturgeon Bay, make referrals, and give food that has been given me from other sources.

• Paul's Pantry in Green Bay receives produce from the Sisters' garden and orchard. The pantry handles nearly 20,000 pounds of food daily.

• The Sisters have a special fund titled "Charity to the Needy."

As diverse as the Sisters' outreach is to the hungry, they are unified in purpose.

"We were founded to help those in need, like the immigrants who didn't have a lot," says Sister Marietta.  "We are to put people at ease and let them know they have a friend in us."