In the heart of Hamilton, live the poor and the marginalized. Many struggling with addiction and illness. Often homeless and helpless, with so many doors closed to them. There is one Door that is open, that welcomes them and feeds them hope. That is the De Mazenod Door, an Outreach program that provides food for the hungry and drink for the thirsty, 365 days a year.
Many doors may be closed, but one door will always be open seven days a week. The De Mazenod Door, is located at 440 King St. East, Hamilton, Ontario and offers breakfast and lunch to the homeless from 9:00 – 1:00 pm daily.
This outreach program operates 365 days of the year to ensure that their guests are able to access hot meals. On January 29th, RC members and friends helped in the De Mazenod Door to feed the homeless.
Equipped with aprons and the willingness to help, the six volunteers fed 175 homeless people. They set up breakfast and lunch. Some of them gathered items into backpacks to distribute to those in need. Six volunteers went home filled with the Holy Spirit for “Whatever we do to the least of our brothers, we did it to Him”.
The De Mazenod Door will be the site for the RC Missions on April 15, 2022.
Testimony: Bringing Hope to Others Made Me Hopeful Too
Volunteering at the De Mazenod Door was a very rich experience. The employees we helped were both extremely caring and faithful people, and it was strengthening to hear how they had grown closer to Christ throughout their lives.
I was placed on a team headed by Leon, one of the employees. There was great comradery in working together to prepare gift backpacks to distribute, particularly from Max, the volunteer coordinator's very friendly dog!
When it came time to go outside to hand out our little care packages, it was very comforting to be in such a social environment after so many months of lockdowns and social isolation.
All the customers were very friendly, and many stopped to chat as they enjoyed their lunch. They were also very polite and made sure to mention how grateful they were for our work that day, which was rewarding to hear. Despite not wearing proper boots that day (I had not realized we might be outdoors) I spent almost the entire remainder of the day outside socializing and distributing backpacks. Going home after the few short hours of volunteering, I felt uplifted and hopeful.
By: Paul Dalle Ave
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