Every Friday for almost 20 years St. Vincent’s parish, in partnership with devoted volunteers and donors from Our Lady of the Fields parish in Millersville, has hosted a hot dinner for anyone in need in our church undercroft. Some years ago the organizers named the weekly event “Breaking Bread With the Hungry.”
The term breaking bread is used in the Acts of the Apostles to refer to the Eucharist; and indeed, our mission flows from the Eucharist. The term the hungry excludes no one. We are all hungry. We are born hungry. In addition to hunger for food, we all hunger for acceptance and love. The term also includes Jesus who said, “I was hungry and you gave me to eat.” Whether we prepare the food, serve it or eat it, we are all the hungry.
For both volunteers and diners, the meal is typically a joyful commotion, where the ups and downs of the lives of both guests and volunteers surface as they enjoy dinner out after a long week. Every week, as the guests depart, they are given a “goody bag” containing a sandwich, snack items, fruit, and a bottle of water. Diners can also obtain a hygiene kit containing needed toiletries and other sundry items. Breaking Bread with the Hungry owes its continued years of service in the Baltimore community to many dedicated people at Our Lady of the Fields, St. Vincent’s, and beyond. They donate food items, hygiene items and cash, make casseroles and sandwiches, prepare the hot meal, deliver the food to St. Vincent’s, help serve the guests, and clean up St. Vincent’s undercroft at the end of the evening.
