The Lenten season is upon us!
After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, this season mirrors that of springtime among our staff and volunteers who view this time of year as one of reflection and we focus on serving hope to our guests with renewed enthusiasm.
GUEST SPOTLIGHT: Marc’s Journey
Marc originally started coming to St. Francis Center about a year ago to receive support through our breakfast program and then began utilizing our shower program.
“My homeless experience was a breakdown of all the bad things that I thought were true about myself.”
“Having my day start at SFC was so empowering because it was about coming to one another as a community of people; being homeless was a weird experience of isolation without privacy. My experience at SFC also helped me re-socialize to the world. Most of all though, to be fed without having to be anyone but myself, felt so accepting. Which in turn helped me strengthen my own self-acceptance and pass on the same unconditional acceptance to everyone else.”
Marc credits SFC for getting him on a path to stability and explains that being open to accepting help was the first step. The strong sense of community at SFC was the catalyst that helped him reconcile with his anger that had turned into despair and the hopelessness. St. Francis Center is a place to be accepted unconditionally and to recharge and prepare for the day, he says.
Through SFC’s network of partner agencies, Marc connected with the “Hope for the Homeless” team through the Weingart Center. He became an AmeriCorps member and is now serving at the Saint Vincent De Paul Cardinal Manning Center facilitating the computer lab for a year.
UPDATE: Marc wanted to give back to the programs that have helped him get on a path to stability, so last Friday he volunteered and served breakfast! He also will be starting in our case management program with our Resource Specialist, Kitty.
Will you join us on our Lenten journey and serve hope to our homeless guests in need like Marc?
Your donation of $25, $50, $100 or even $500 will go a long way this Lent in providing our guests with warm, nutritious meals, health and hygiene services, onsite access to health care, and comprehensive resource services now including case management. Donate now!
