Homeless get soup, sandwiches and 'gold' through Providence program

Published: 2006-02-23

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (CNS) -- Every other Friday night, between 5:45-8:30 p.m., the homeless find their way onto Kennedy Plaza in Providence for soup, sandwiches and "gold" -- what some have dubbed the socks that volunteers distribute. For some, the socks, donated by a man who buys them wholesale, are a bigger draw than the food. The food distribution efforts are part of the "And You Fed Me" program, one of several initiated by Father James T. Ruggieri, pastor of St. Patrick and St. Casimir parishes, after a homeless man approached him and asked for some food on a Saturday more than five years ago, when the priest was part of a regular vigil outside a Providence abortion clinic. Father Ruggieri realized, after buying the man a sandwich, that the needs of those living on the streets were not being entirely met by area soup kitchens. Initially, a group began distributing soup, later adding sandwiches and, three years ago, the socks. In January, two East Providence communities -- Our Lady of Loreto Parish and St. Margaret School -- collected 874 scarves, hats and gloves for the homeless. "We want to let people know how appreciative these people are" for what they receive, said Anne Pari, 65, of St. Brendan Parish in Riverside, who volunteers at Kennedy Plaza.

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