St. John Neumann Volunteers - Catholic Charities

The kitchen at the Dorothy Day Center hummed with activity. Two people chatted while cutting homemade bread. Someone sauntered over for an official taste test while another stirred the mixed vegetables – all 40 pounds of them.

To the volunteer cooks from St. John Neumann Church, it wasn’t just any meal. It was a meal made with love for nearly 300 Dorothy Day Center guests.
“We put aside any trials and tribulations we may have and we come here to serve these folks because their lives are likely more difficult,” said Dorothy Guanella, one of the group’s coordinators who has volunteered for more than 12 years.

Steve Hawkins, a member of the St. John Neumann Church volunteer group, shares his reflection on volunteering

"Volunteering is rewarding."

Though Guanella’s 12 years of volunteering are impressive, even more astounding is how many St. John Neumann parishioners have also volunteered for more than a decade. The group has purchased, prepared and served a monthly meal at the Dorothy Day Center for more than 25 years.

All of the volunteers, from the dishwashing crew to the serving crew, see it as a way to give back and help the community.

“The greatest couple of hours of my month, the most gratifying and fulfilling, occurs at the Dorothy Day Center, not only with my friends who are volunteers but friends who are guests,” said Steve Hawkins, another of the group’s coordinators. “[Volunteering] is rewarding. It’s fulfilling and sometimes it’s sad. Bottom line, it’s our community.”

Catholic Charities relies on the generosity of volunteers to purchase, prepare and serve the meals at the Dorothy Day Center. Last year, more than 206,000 meals were served at the center. Learn how you can serve those most in need.

Catholic Charities of St. Paul & Minneapolis - 1200 Second Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55403 - 612-664-8500