Dear Friend and Supporter of Loaves & Fishes,

Autumn greetings! All around Loaves & Fishes, trees are relinquishing their leaves. Our guests sport additional layers of clothing. It’s cooler in the mornings and the hot coffee served by Friendship Park in steaming mugs is especially welcome. Our guests are so much at the mercy of the elements that weather – now and what’s ahead – is a constant topic of conversation and worry and preparation.

People who live on the streets, in the alleys or vacant lots or along the riverbanks must pay attention to the elements or they suffer. Women who walk sizeable distances to get assistance for themselves and their children need warm hats and gloves for the coming winter. Our guests who are impaired by alcohol or mental illness are warmed by the daily, friendly interaction with our staff and volunteers and by the cold weather gear we are able to give them thanks to your generosity.

At this time of shared harvest, we turn to you again, our faithful friends and supporters, to ask for your financial assistance so that we can carry on our work here at Loaves & Fishes, feeding the hungry and caring for the homeless. It is because of your generosity that we are free to do this work of helping our brothers and sisters who live on the margins of our society.

Our faith and religious traditions teach us that we are to care for the poor, that we are to feed the hungry, that we are to bind up the wounded, that we are to visit the imprisoned; our faith teaches us that the poor are special in God’s eyes and that “as often as you did it for one of my least brothers and sisters, you did it for me.”

May we have the passion and commitment to put into practice what our faith and traditions teach us.