After many years of incredible service, Katie Doyle, Father Ward, Pedro Rosado, and Lee Henrickson have retired from their roles with the St. Martin de Porres Sandwich Program.  We thank them for all their incredible dedication and for all that they’ve done for those in need.

Filling their shoes are Tara Carr and Meg Penner.  Tara manages the roster of all the volunteers (103 strong!)  and provides orientation for new volunteers.  The guidelines for sandwiches are simple.  The sandwiches need to be substantial, because often they are the main meal of the day for the more than 200 homeless men of St. Martin de Porres Shelter.  That means no peanut butter and jelly, no plain cheese, and no baloney!  It’s also important that they not have ingredients that are too crunchy or hard (some of the men don’t have the best of teeth).  Favorites are roast beef, ham and cheese, egg salad, tuna salad, and turkey.  Hard boiled eggs and cookies are also popular.  No condiments on the sandwiches as they tend to make the bread soggy!
The sandwiches are dropped off at Sunday morning coffee hour or at the parish office during the day on the second Monday of the month.  This is where Meg Penner and her kids take over.

“I pick up the kids at school and off we head to St. James to collect the sandwiches.  I don’t know how many there are—several hundred, at least.  The whole car will be full.  We take them down to St. Martin’s, then we unload and reorganize them.  That’s about it!”

Tara says:  “Lots of people on our roster have kids and this is something they can do at home together.  The kids can be creative in thinking about what kind of sandwiches to make that month.”

Later in the evening, parishioners Dan Drummey and Pat Baillargeon arrive at St. Martin de Porres to help distribute the sandwiches to the men.

It’s a simple way to make a big difference! If you are interested in being a part of it, e-mail sandwich.volunteers@gmail.com .