There are people
in the world so hungry,
that God cannot
appear to them
except in
the form
of bread.
Mahatma Gandhi
Emmaus Ministries
A commitment to the forgotten and the faceless of society – a Christian presence and outreach in Erie, Pennsylvania since 1974.
Soup Kitchen
Food Pantry
The Companion Newsletter
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September 2020
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Mission
Contact Information
Emmaus Ministries, Inc.
345 East 9th Street
Erie, PA 16503
Phone: 814-459-8349
Fax: 814-459-8066
Email:
Sister Mary Miller, OSB
Margaret Kloecker
Rita Scrimenti
Breanna Mekuly
Valerie Luckey
Emmaus Soup Kitchen
218 East 11th Street
Erie PA 16503
Sister Gus' Kids Cafe
310 East 10th Street
Erie PA 16503
814-878-2922
Breaking the Bread
From the Director
Sister Mary Miller
“Blessed is the one who cares for the poor,” is what God proclaims in Psalm 41. But what kind of “blessing” is promised? Is it a material blessing? As in, if I help the poor, I will get a bigger house, a BMW, and a swimming pool. Or, is it the blessing of a life devoid of suffering or grief, loss and emptiness? If I care for the poor then I won’t get cancer, or my son won’t become addicted to drugs? I don’t think so.
For the Record
SONS of Lake Erie Fish Fry at the Soup Kitchen
For more information, see local news coverage.
A Busy Start to the Week at the Food Pantry
With both a furniture giveaway and voter registration drive, Emmaus Food Pantry was busier than usual on Monday morning. Regular food distribution runs from 9-11AM every Monday and Tuesday, but yesterday Sister Colette Korn, OSB also helped to organize donated items to give away to guests, items including furniture such as sofas, dressers, desks, and mattresses. This was a special giveaway as a generous benefactor recently moved and offered these pieces. Sister Colette also had children’s books, clothing, and household items available. This is not the first time she has helped with giveaways; there have been two others since Erie entered...
Emmaus Participates in Virtual Nuns on the Bus Tour
With so many events—large and small—adjusted, postponed, or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nuns on the Bus, an annual social justice bus tour sponsored by the Catholic advocacy group NETWORK, had to adapt as well.
So prior to the national presidential election in 2020, NETWORK has organized a virtual bus tour to address issues that are part of the Catholic social justice agenda. “Since Nuns on the Bus could not go on the road as planned, they asked organizations like Emmaus to share how federal policies can affect the people it serves both for better and for the worse,” said Breanna...
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Walking Together on the Road to Emmaus
Volunteers and Donors
Emmaus depends on many volunteers and donors at the food pantry, soup kitchen and Kids Cafe.Call 814-459-8349 if you would like to volunteer. Click here to make a donation.
Joan Martter Emmaus staff member Breanna Mekuly interviewed Joan Martter about her time volunteering at Emmaus. This is what she had to say. Breanna: How long have you been serving at Emmaus? |
Soup's On: An Emmaus Journal
By the Emmaus Ministries staff
October 30, 2020I was serving at the soup kitchen the other evening when someone coming through the line asked to talk to a sister. I went over to the window where we hand out meals and saw Michael*. Michael has been a faithful donor to Emmaus for a couple years, offering monthly what he can to support our ministry while also coming through our dinner line regularly. He wanted to explain to me why he hadn’t sent donations in a while. Michael had been in prison and was recently released. He said to me, “Sister Mary, I want to begin making my monthly contribution again. And I want to thank you for these great boots Emmaus gave me,” as he lifted his leg to show me his foot. |
Remember Emmaus with a Memorial
We are grateful to family members who ask that memorials be made to Emmaus on the death of loved ones. Visit our secure site to offer a memorial.
+ Joseph V. Martone
+ Joseph J. Desser
+ Ronald N. "Ronnie" Sitter
+ Barbara A. Cunic Esper (vol)
+ Agnes S. (Kaliszewski) Kinem
+ Theresa C, Czupkowski Snyder
+ Rosemary (McCabe) Kaveney (vol)
+ Marie E. (Lubelski) Kuzmin
+ "Connie" Bruno Ratajczak (vol)
+ Joseph Nies
+ Cynthia Hauser Manna
Fulfill the Emmaus Wish List
You can always help us stock our shelves at the soup kitchen with ground coffee, instant tea and instant lemonade, jelly/jam, peanut butter, maple syrup, mayonnaise/miracle whip, soup, and canned fruit. We ALWAYS appreciate diapers (all sizes) and baby formula.
The Kids Cafe Store is in need of the following items:
School supplies
hand sanitizer,
Kleenex,
hair supplies (shampoo and conditioner, hair ties, brushes, picks, head bands, etc.)
Deodorant
Socks
Attention Bakers!!! We welcome homemade treats for our guests. If you're a baker, know that our Emmaus guests appreciate cookies, cakes, pies…sweets of any kind.
Call 814-459-8349 for more information or to schedule your donation.
Pray with Emmaus
Please join with the Emmaus community in reciting this prayer daily.
Prayer of St. Vincent DePaul
You will find that charity
is a heavy burden to carry,
heavier than the kettle of soup
and the basket of bread.
But you must your gentleness
and your smile keep.
Giving soup and bread
isn’t all that you can do.
The poor are your masters-
terribly sensitive and exacting
as you will see.
But the more demanding they seem
the more unjust and bitter
the more you must give them your love.