Heeding the Order’s charism to serve the poor, on January 9, Michigan Area members prepared and served lunch at St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen in Detroit.

Located in the People’s Community Church, St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen serves about 30,000 lunches annually to the hungry, isolated, and lonely in the community. Organized by Michigan Area Hospitaller Kathleen Mastrangelo, DM, teams of Michigan Area volunteers work at the soup kitchen on the second and fourth Fridays of each month (and on fifth Fridays when they occur). The Michigan Area teams prepare hot lunches from scratch under the direction of St. Leo’s kitchen manager, chef Dominic French.

Volunteering at the lunch service with Kathleen were David Closs, KM, and Noel Closs, DM; Associate Rana Jamil; Mark Thut, Candidate in Formation, and his wife Mary Thut.

The team made pasta sauce with Italian sausage – from scratch. Also on the menu with the pasta: Fresh vegetables, green beans with bacon, garlic bread, and dessert.

And earlier in the month, Michigan Area members jumped in on short notice to cover the January 2 soup kitchen meal service. Although not normally assigned to first Fridays, the Michigan Area responded to the soup kitchen’s urgent request when no other volunteers were available on the day after New Year’s Day. Helping to feed the hungry that day were Barbara Wilson, DM, and Robert Wilson, KM, and Chris Pettyjohn, who is considering membership in the Order.

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