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Homeless Street Ministry

The lead for this ministry works with the St. Vincent de Paul Society at Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) Parish in Claremont, as well as the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry located at Holy Name of Mary (HNM) Parish in La Verne/ San Dimas.  This ministry is separate from St. Vincent de Paul, but answers a critical need that was uncovered while working at the HNM food pantry and clothing distribution site.

 

Homeless persons from Claremont near the train station and those residing along the stretch of Pomona north of Holt Ave. between Indian Hill and Garey Ave. cannot easily get to a food distribution site (they are many miles away).  Thus, they wait until they are desperate before they show up for food at a food pantry.  By the time they make it to a pantry, they are extremely hungry and in great need of nourishment.

 

In addition, the ability for a homeless person to obtain clean undergarments, and a warm blanket is extremely limited.  This poses a serious health problem.  They have no money to pay for these items.

 

The mission for this ministry is to feed (and if available, provide clean undergarments and warm blankets) to the homeless as they are encountered during our search for them in the Claremont and Pomona district north of Holt Ave.

 

Donations of items needed may be left in a cart is marked for this ministry outside the north door of the church at the corner of Berkeley Ave. and Bonita Ave. Many of these items are available in bulk at big box stores such as WalMart or Costco:

  • Nutritional supplement drinks (e.g. Ensure, Boost, or Equate)
  • Cup of noodles (preferably chicken)
  • Cans of Chicken Noodle or Beef Ravioli (with pull-top lid)
  • Oatmeal single serving packages
  • Bottled water
  • Disposable utensils, plates, cups, napkins and bowls
 

You may also help defray the cost of snack bags which is about $10-12 each. Checks may be made payable to “OLA” with a memo for “Homeless Snack Bags.”