Spreading Christ’s peace one meal at a time

By Ambria Hammel | Dec. 18, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

MESA — The nation’s sputtering economy hasn’t dampened the giving spirit at Paz de Cristo.

They’re striving to fulfill a greater demand for their services to the homeless and working poor — not just during the weeks leading up to Christmas, but every day.

“When I give tours, people are amazed at this place. They either reach for their checkbook or they work something out from the office,” said Mike Boos, director of Paz de Cristo.

That said, the nonprofit still feels the squeeze of the weak economy. After being founded by St. Timothy Parish in 1988, Paz de Cristo is now independent financially after last year’s parish incorporation process.

Donations are down a bit and Paz still hasn’t fully recovered the funding it lost from the parish. Still, staff and volunteers are hopeful. A new grant writer has helped the agency secure new funding sources, and the board of directors is refining a long-term marketing and fundraising strategy.

“The future looks good,” Boos said. “We’re willing to take the challenges and the risks and go forward.”

Challenges include helping guests get identification cards and birth certificates and bus tickets for medical appointments or jobs. Paz still distributes hygiene items weekly and offers a limited amount of clothing or vouchers for nearby thrift stores.

The staple services Paz offers — hot meals and food boxes— have not wavered, in spite of the challenges.

“So far, everything has gone ahead or better than what we’ve expected,” said Terry Woods, president of Paz’s board of directors.

Boos credits God, noting that prayers are sometimes answered within two hours.

Food drives from schools, offices, women’s groups, retirement groups and service organizations keep Paz’s pantry stocked. United Food Bank, its biggest supplier, now has a system that ensures fresher food.

Some 30 different faith partners take turns serving in the kitchen, with Jewish volunteers serving Christian holidays.

“If it weren’t for the community donating and giving, there’d be a lot of starving people out there,” said Allan Soltesz, a St. Timothy parishioner who started volunteering at Paz shortly after moving to the Valley last summer.

He helps out several times a month because, as a culinary student, it’s good experience. He also remembers coming close to living on the streets himself.

“If it ever happens to me, I want a place like this to be here,” Soltesz said between washing dishes.

While some are chronically homeless, it isn’t always the case.

“You think you’re going to see someone in rags,” said Eric Francisco, campus minister for Seton Catholic Preparatory High School in Chandler, who brings some two dozen freshman and transfer students to help out each month.

“The people that are there are people you wouldn’t think need help,” he said.

Many will have cell phones and cars, but just need a little extra help to get by, he said.

Many of the guests are men, but a fair amount are women and children too. Daniel, a young adult, has been coming for two years. That’s when he arrived in the Valley by bus to visit his mom. She left for Mexico two days later and hasn’t returned since, leaving Daniel homeless.

Without Paz, Daniel was certain he’d be eating out of a dumpster. He especially loves chicken and rice nights at the outreach center, which is what volunteers from the Make-A-Wish Foundation and St. Timothy Parish served earlier this month.

Twenty volunteers from various faith groups and community organizations spend hours cooking and serving a hot, multi-course meal for 200-300 guests every night. Meal service increased by 5,500 last year. Paz leadership expects to serve some 78,000 meals this year.

Guests, who have been described as polite and intelligent, chitchat under the shade of a tree, in Paz’s parking lot or in the covered outdoor dining area up to two hours before dinnertime.

“It provides some social life for people who are down and out. Social life can be a lifeline,” said Woods, a St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner.

For others, the food box is their lifeline. As many as 35 volunteers help package and distribute food boxes twice a month to the area’s low-income residents. Boos said two years ago staff thought handing out 450 food boxes in one day was a lot. Now, Paz easily distributes more than 700.

“Every day you see you can make a difference in the lives of people. What better feeling is there?” Boos asked. “The hard part is, you can’t provide everything they need.