June 28, 2007
St. John’s University’s Bread & Life program announced plans
for a new, larger facility during a ground breaking ceremony in the
Beford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn on June 27. University
President, Rev.
Donald J. Harrington, C.M., blessed the location where
construction is scheduled to begin in September for an April 2008
opening.
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Gallery
Anthony Butler, Executive Director of St. John’s Bread and Life,
Thomas McInerney, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at St. John’s
University and member of the board of St. John’s Bread & Life,
and Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., Vice President for Student Affairs
at St. John’s University joined Rev. Harrington, C.M., in greeting
guests and VIP’s while officially “breaking ground” on the new
facility with a shovel ceremony to commemorate the special
occasion.
“Bread & Life is a marvelous example of people working as
hard, creatively and collaboratively as they can, and in the end
turning and placing their faith in God who created the miracle we
call St. John’s Bread & Life,” said Rev. Maher.
The new facility, located at 795 Lexington Avenue, is nearly
double the size of the current location with 22,000 square feet and
will feature a new kitchen, a restaurant style dining area, and
much needed additional space for social service
activities.
“We were first looking into expanding the space where we
currently exist, but as we worked on that over a number of years,
it became evident that we were not going to be able to meet the
needs out of that facility,” said Mrs. Mary P. Tobin, who is a
member of the Board of St. John’s Bread & Life. “No
matter how hard we try, the needs of the poor just keep
growing. To see this today is just beyond our dreams.”
Additional facilities will include reception areas, cold storage
and a demonstration kitchen for food-prep training, as well as
indoor parking for the Mobile Soup Kitchen, which feeds those who
can not reach the permanent facility.
Others helping make this possible are the additional members of
the Bread & Life Capital Campaign Committee including: Sr.
Margaret Mary Fitzpatrick, S.C., Ed.D., President, St. Thomas
Aquinas College; Mrs. Mary P. Tobin, Managing Trustee, Peter and
Mary Tobin Family Foundation; Mr. David Belt, President, DBI
Construction Consultants; Mr. Thomas Nedell, Vice President for
Business Affairs at St. John’s University; Mrs. Helen T. Lowe,
Executive Director of Development, Archdiocese of New York; Mrs.
Paula McInerney, Bluff Pointe Associates; Mrs. Jane O’Connell,
Consultant; Mr. Charles McQuade, Retired Chairman and CEO, SIAC and
Mr. Robert Wile, Chief of Staff to the President, St. John’s
University.
St. John’s Bread & Life was founded in 1982 at the original
home of St. John’s University (75 Lewis Avenue) and currently
serves over 1,000 meals daily. In 2006, the University
acquired the program from the Diocese of Brooklyn. The
program also provides social outreach services including nutrition
counseling, medical support referral services, a Legal Clinic and
Support Groups addressing women’s life skills, domestic violence
and substance abuse.