The Capuchin Family Kitchen Food Truck made its debut on Palm Sunday weekend in San Francisco. Based in Los Angeles, the food truck visited the city to prepare for a San Francisco version based out of the National Shrine of St. Francis in North Beach.
Fr. Christopher Iwansio, OFM, who works at St. Francis High School in La Cañada Flintridge (Los Angeles), said that he would help organize school service projects such as feeding the homeless, but the pandemic made it impossible to do this in person. Slowly, they began dropping off food to local homeless shelters to support them during the pandemic, but eventually came across the food truck model in Denver. Fr. Christopher and the Capuchins in Los Angeles raised the funds from local donors and the Padre Pio Foundation of America to buy a food truck to assist with outreach.
“It’s a great combination of friars, lay people, and students at St. Francis High School,” said Fr. Christopher.
When the Friars in the Bay Area saw the new vehicle for outreach in Los Angeles, they asked, “When do we get one?” While the Capuchin friars in the Bay Area have always been active in serving the homeless, there was a desire to do more based out of the National Shrine of St. Francis.
The April 1-2 tour helped to test and set the infrastructure for the new van, making a stop first at the National Shrine, and then visiting Our Lady of Angels in Burlingame.
The new van will help the friars distribute religious items as well as food, water, clothing, and other items. The van is currently being outfitted to fit the needs of the friars.
To help launch the project, St. Ignatius’ (SI’s) LaCrosse team joined with the St. Francis LaCrosse team to make more than 300 sandwiches, trail mix, and cards of encouragement, which the friars distributed to St. Vincent de Paul and St. Anthony Dining Centers on Saturday.
“The mission of our school is ‘be for and with others,’ so it’s important to get out and make sure that you’re with those on the margins helping them out rather than just saying it,” said Luke Sell, a senior lacrosse player from SI.
Sell said his work with the homeless through service projects (LaCrosse team projects and required school service hours) has inspired him to hopefully continue this when he and his teammates go to college. He credits his education at SI and religious classes for inspiring them.
For more information on the upcoming food truck, visit: https://padrepio.com/capuchin-food-truck.
From the San Francisco Archdiocese
How about a truck that teaches people to fish instead of giving them a fish every day?
Can’t there be different ministries, but the same Lord?
That is another example of things that have been added to the Faith.
I do think it is very appropriate but that is not in the Bible.
It falls under instructing the ignorant which is a spiritual work of Mercy.
It actually is in the bible (see Mt 25:35) but since when is the bible the sole rule of faith for fully living out the Christian faith? That is not in the bible.
Mt 25:35 says “I was hungry and you gave me food. i was thirsty and you gave me drink.”
It does not say “teach a man to fish.”
No one said sola scriptura.
Very good. As with many things Catholic, it’s not either this or that, rather both/and. Give them a fish and teach them to fish. Work to eliminate welfare dependency while not neglecting those with empty stomachs today.
Good for the Capuchins! This is a ministry that they would like to grow. From their March newsletter:
With your help, we hope to grow this ministry to bring joy, hope
and great food to even more suffering and homeless people in the greater Los Angeles area.
At the end of the newsletter is this prayer:
Lord,
Open my eyes and my heart to the poor and suffering. You asked us to share our food with the hungry and to give shelter and clothes to
those who need them. Make me an instrument of Your love, sharing my blessings with my brothers and sisters who hunger in body and in spirit.
Please hear my prayers for the homeless. Watch over them and protect them from harm. Amen.
When I think of Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, I also think this is a project worthy of support.
From Canada to North Beach is kind of a long drive.
“La Canada” is in LA. I think, in this case, “Canada” is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable and a “tilde” (squiggly mark) over the “n.” Thus, “La Cañada.”
But you’re right. It’s still a long drive to SF North Beach. Wish the National Shrine of St. Francis’ OFM Capuchins friars would just join forces with the OFM’s St. Anthony Dining Room at St. Boniface’s in downtown SF. The OFM’s St. Anthony’s Dining Room has been in operation for some 70 years now. It’s going great but will always welcome help from other kinds of Franciscans, whether friars, TORs, or Seculars.
Sorry, correcting my own mistakes:
The Franciscans at the National Shrine of St. Francis in SF North Beach are Conventuals. They wear a black habit like St. Maximillian Colby, OFM Conv. The Conventuals at the Shrine plan to operate a food truck to distribute food to the needy as far south as Burlingame in Santa Clara valley.
The Franciscans at St. Boniface Church in downtown SF are OFM’s. They wear a brown habit like St. Junipero Serra, OFM. The OFMs operate St. Anthony’s Dining Room, an institution that has been feeding the poor and providing other assistance for over 50 years.
The “Canada” in “La Canada, CA” has the accent on the SECOND syllable, i.e., La Ca-ÑA-da. The Ñ, with the “tilde”, sounds like “ni” or “ny” as in “jalapenyo” or the Italian “gn,” as in “lasagna.”
Thanks for allowing me to correct these mistakes.
Social Justice Warrior school. They also have a Director of Diversity.
Good for them. If our churches looked more like America they might attract more people of diverse backgrounds. Just saying …