Saint George’s Does Much More Than Feed the Hungry
You have read on these pages of St. George’s feeding program for the poor and homeless folk of northern Palm Beach county… Hot lunches and dinners are served five days a week, with take-out lunch on Saturdays.
You have read about showers on Thursdays and foot washings on Fridays. You have also read about Visiting Nurses coming monthly to monitor the health of our guests. But there are many more services offered at St. George’s Center.
1. MAILING ADDRESS. Suppose you were homeless… Where would you get your mail, especially if you couldn’t afford the rent on a mailbox at the Post Office? St. George’s answers that question for over 100 individuals. Those who use this service list the St. George’s mail box as their address and pick up their mail from the Center office. A terrific problem solved. Especially important if you are waiting for something like a disability check or word from your family.
2. HOMELESS DECLARATION. If you are homeless, you may receive health care at local hospitals providing that you have been declared homeless by the federal government. An application must be filed, of course, for this to happen. The staff at St. George’s Center file about 140 of these each year on behalf of its guests.
3. FOOD STAMP APPLICATIONS. Persons whose incomes are at or below the federally declared poverty level are entitled to receive U.S. federal food stamps to assist in the purchase of necessary food items. Of course an application must be filed. St. George’s Center files over 60 of these on behalf of our guests each year.
4. DOCUMENT SAFEKEEPING. Suppose you were homeless and had no safe place to keep your important documents like your birth certificate or your insurance policy or your social security card or simply your address book. St. George’s Center offers its guests a secure locked file in which to place their valuable documents.
5. DONATED CLOTHING. Clean and presentable clothing is a constant need of the homeless folk. Thankfully St. George’s Center receives many donations of used clothing for distribution to those who need them. Some volunteers give their time to the task of sorting and organizing the donations by size and type and then assist in the distribution of the clothes to appropriate individuals. Keep up the donations!
6. CENTER VEGETABLE GARDEN. On the back corner of the Center’s property is a beautiful vegetable garden which provides needed produce for our kitchen. The main volunteer who conceived of the idea and carried through on the planting and culture of the garden is tending to some family business out of state at the moment. We look forward to his return soon and to his resumption of growing the healthy food for our guests.