The Oak City Cares ministry at St. Francis couldn’t assist in a more aptly named cause. Oak City Cares is a community organization named after the City of Raleigh’s nickname, and what it does is care for those in need. As St. Francis of Assisi Oak City Cares ministry volunteer Ann Lassiter said, “It is a hub for those experiencing homelessness. They provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the weekend, and different community organizations serve them.” Our ministry at the parish specifically provides breakfast 18 times a year. Parishioners donate and prepare food, including eggs, water, fruit, and granola bars, and the parish provides biscuits. Ministry volunteers make and serve it to the patrons at Oak City to take away or sit and eat there.
Jim Caravello, another St. Francis parishioner who coordinates and volunteers in this ministry, says, “I’ve been involved since the end of 2022. We started serving 100-125 people, but we served 285 on a recent Sunday. Now we have 225-250 every session, more or less.” This speaks to the increased need being seen among the homeless population in Raleigh. Ann agrees, pointing out, “Oak City is requesting we plan for 250 at each breakfast now.” She adds, “Candidly, parishioners always step up and donate what we need. Donations are not a problem, but finding biscuits can be a quandary.” The parish typically buys the biscuits from McDonalds, but they may need to find additional sources to meet the increased need. “Most people eat at Oak City,” says Jim, “ and that allows the volunteers to interact with the clients. Sometimes people come for the day, and it’s the best meal they have had all week.”
“The ministry,” points out Ann, “really addresses the teachings to feed the hungry, human dignity, and caring for your neighbor. We work hard to give them as many choices as possible and ‘encounter them’ as we serve food and clean the adjacent tables. We have a conversation with them as they are our neighbors; they are not strangers. Many of the Oak City clients come every time we are there, and our volunteers are often the same all the time; we can develop a close relationship with them.” “We never have an issue with getting donations or volunteer servers because I think the ministry is rooted in Franciscan values. Care for Creation and all aspects of serving others in whatever capacity we can,” says Ann.
A unique aspect of the Oak City Cares ministry is that they reserve a role for first-time volunteers. “We reserve some slots for new volunteers to introduce these first-time volunteers to the ministry,” says Jim. “They just need to let us know when they want to volunteer, and we will make room.” The roles at the meals include serving and cleaning up. “We also,” adds Jim, “like to have people talk to patrons when they are in line or sitting around us while we are cleaning up.” That human connection is essential. They also have roles at the coffee station and a person as the designated ‘counter’ to see how many people are there. People are also always needed to unload food and serve as ‘back help’ to restock the serving line. Jim adds, “There’s always a big spill that needs to be cleaned up, or you can assist those who may need extra help.”
The St. Francis ministry is committed to every 4th Sunday and also the 2nd Saturday every other month starting in February. “It’s a great ministry with something for everybody, and it’s not a huge time commitment. You meet a lot of great people,” emphasizes Ann. Jim agrees, saying, “It’s a great charitable organization that can involve your whole family, including children.” To find out how to help with this ministry, check out the Oak City Cares page on St. Francis Serves here.