The Peter Maurin Center provides welfare services that include anything from clothing to religious gatherings to meals. As the saying goes, the more the merrier – and we’d love for you to join our team.
From the day The Peter Maurin Center opened its doors for the first time, our vision was to create a space where the individuals and families in our community could go from being invisible and marginalized, to being welcomed, accepted, relevant, and truly apart of the community. Our plan originally consisted of offering a drink of juice or coffee, a simple bowl of soup or a sandwich, and most importantly, an ear and shoulder to those who visit our facility and want to express themselves and their thoughts. Well, that was our initial concept..
…Approximately 120,000+ meals and thousands of visitors later, it’s safe to say we met – and exceeded – our vision! In December 2020 alone, we served at least 1,800 meals –excluding what we serve in the field or our after-school activities and support for neighborhood students. Although we aren’t social workers, we do often direct those in need to our resources who can help them.
We’ve served our community for over 15 years now, and we’d love to both share some of our achievements thus far and invite people to volunteer or donate to further spread our love and vision for another 15 years and beyond.
The Peter Maurin Center is open to guests on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 11am where meals will be served between 12pm and 2pm. We pride ourselves on not accepting any Government subsidies. We rely solely on individuals, organizations, and churches to assist our Mercy Ministries in caring for our most treasured community.
Every Sunday, a local church provides our visitors with a prepared meal. These churches provide between1,350 and 1,500 meals each month, for which we and our community are eternally grateful. Some churches include:
The Peter Maurin Center facilities are also open after hours throughout the night whenever winter’s frigid temperatures plunge to 10°F or below. As a result, between 20 and 40 individuals spend some nights in our facility to escape the bitter cold. These times often warrant us to keep our facility open for about 25 nights a year. If you’re interested joining our volunteering program, every helping hand makes a difference in meal planning, preparation, and serving.
From the smallest crumb to a pair of socks, and even a friendly face of hope, The Peter Maurin Center invites anyone who loves community to join us in doing good deeds for those in need. Every single person and effort means the world.
