St. Vincent de Paul | Louisville

By Gregory A. Hall, Courier-Journal, Dec. 26, 2010

Tracy Bell never expected to be on the receiving end of St. Vincent de Paul's Christmas luncheon, but Saturday she was for the first time after being laid off from her nursing job.

“It's a very humbling experience,” she said, adding that she was “very grateful.”

“No matter what situation life brings you — whether you're on top of the world or the bottom of the world — people just need to realize that God has a place for everybody.”

And, Bell added, “when you get back on your feet, you need to give back.”

She said she's already volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul's when she can.

Her theme of giving back was echoed repeatedly Saturday as about 30 volunteers — including some current and former clients of the social service charity — served an estimated 300 people at the Open Hand Kitchen, at 1026 S. Jackson St.

The kitchen offers two meals daily to the needy and is one of many efforts on behalf of the poor and homeless by St. Vincent de Paul's. Many of the diners were from the 200 people who stay at St. Vincent's homeless shelters and other housing nightly.

The holiday menu included turkey, ham, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, oven-roasted potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce and a slew of desserts.

Matt Eppler, a 52-year-old recovering alcoholic, said the meal provided some hope on the holiday.

“Thirty minutes ago, I'm thinking about family I wish I could be with, but I can't because of bad choices I've made as far as my drinking,” he said. “… All of the sudden you come in here and, I don't know, it's a special feeling. It's hard to describe. But it's probably the highlight of the day.”

Philip Snyder, who described himself as an unemployed former client of St. Vincent de Paul's, laughed as he said he was serving Saturday as a “dishwashing engineer.”

“You're so freely given something that you need to give back,” he said. “They've helped me a whole lot.”

Others volunteered for their own reasons.

Carl Renck of Crescent Hill said he has volunteered at the kitchen on Christmas day for several years.

He choked up as he told how since his son died of cancer about 13 months ago, “I just kind of do it in his memory.”

Hank and Robin Fisher helped lead a group of about 10 volunteers from among their family and friends who distributed desserts to diners Saturday. The group made some of the desserts and others were donated by Plehn's Bakery.

It's a tradition they've followed for five years, previously at other shelters and this year at St. Vincent de Paul's.

They also have a party where they collect items, such as socks and gloves, needed by the poor and homeless.

“It's become a passion,” Hank Fisher said.

“It's just about giving back to people that don't have as much, as we've been so blessed,” Robin Fisher said. “Our families are so blessed.”