Connections to Chicago

Christina, Brittany, Gabby, and Brian

History of St. Thomas of Canterbury

• Founded in 1916

• Diverse Catholic Community

• Celebrate the sacraments in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Laotian, and host their Eritrean Coptic Catholic community twice- monthly

• Operate a soup kitchen, food pantry, and a clothing room

• Serve 120-170 people each soup kitchen service

What We Did…

During our time being at St. Thomas, we volunteered at the Soup Kitchen on Friday. Our group came together with many other groups (some from Loyola and some from other parts of Chicago) to serve soup, bread, drinks, and dessert to the many people that came in. Some people were in charge of passing out soup, picking up trash, giving out sugar &salt and pepper, and refilling cups with drinks. We had the opportunity to meet and talk to part of the community of Chicago.

We Fed the Hungry…

• Everywhere you go in Chicago, it is likely that you might see a homeless person or someone asking for food or money.

• We gave back to the community by showing them some love. We gave them food and a place to relax.

• We take for granted the food we receive daily.

We are Loyola. We are Service.

• Loyola emphasizes service. Volunteering is a huge part of the Jesuit beliefs. All of us here may not be Jesuit, but we all are a community. We are a community that works together for the better of the community outside of just Loyola.

Other Service Opportunities in Chicago

• Salvation Army puts together many service opportunities to help feed the hungry.• Meals for Seniors on Christmas Day

• Mobile Feeding Meals Volunteer

• Christmas Dinner Dining Room Server

• Angel Tree

• Food Basket Distribution

• Christmas Food Basket

• Toy Shop Intake

• Thanksgiving Baskets

How To… Get involved

• We found this service opportunity by going to the Service and Action area in room 217 in Damen. Mr. Trevor Van Dyke was very helpful in giving us the information for this service.

• He gave us many ideas other than just the Soup Kitchen.

Group Reflection

• Participating in the St. Thomas soup kitchen was really eye- opening. There was a family with children that came in. That was definitely eye opening in the fact that when we were children, we really didn’t have to worry about being hungry. Everyone was so nice and appreciative of us helping out. My group members and I all agreed that we would definitely do it again, not just for an assignment. This experience made us realize how lucky we are to be attending Loyola.

Personal Reflection(Brian)

• It felt genuinely good helping people by serving them food, and collecting their trash. They seemed to seem much more appreciative for your efforts compared to working at a food restaurant. Some of the people there just wanted someone to talk to since they don’t have anyone to express their thoughts to who will listen and give feedback. I sat down with one guy for about five minutes and he talked about himself and asked about me. I enjoyed the conversation because it allowed me to connect first hand with a recipient of the soup kitchen and it made me feel welcome to return their any time. Overall the experience made me feel fortunate as a person who is able to afford food daily and education at an above average school. I would actually like to return to the soup kitchen some day when my Biology lecture class from 3:50-4:40 doesn’t have anything notable planned.