For over 20 years, St. Julie’s has been part of a community consortium that provides hot meals every night for the homeless and economically challenged individuals and families in our community.  During the winter months (December – March) our parish also was one of the sites to provide overnight sheltering, giving those with no place to stay a warm, dry roof over their heads.

 

As with everything else, Covid-19 interrupted this service in March of last year.  On-site meals were suspended not only at St. Julie’s but at six other sites in the Conejo Valley.   Unfortunately the need for free meals didn’t stop.  It increased as more people became effected by local business downsizing and closures.

HARBOR HOUSE

Harbor House (http://www.harborhouseto.org) took over coordination of the Conejo Valley Meal & Shelter Program in 2019.  A local nonprofit, its mission is to offer referrals, resources, case management and a hand up for those who are struggling.  By summer of last year it designed a way to restart the hot meal program within Covid guidelines.  Instead of nightly sit-down dinners, boxed to-go lunches and dinners are now handed out daily at one central location, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, between 4:30-5:30pm.

St. Julie's Helping With Meals

Since September, St. Julie’s has been part of a group of churches providing meals for this nightly program.  We cater dinners on the first and fourth Saturday of every month.  Meal components are prepared at home, then put together and boxed in the parish kitchen.  Although we don’t get to meet and interact with meal recipients, there is satisfaction in knowing that we’re providing nourishment to someone in need.

“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least
brothers of mine, you did for me.”

(Matthew 25:40)