For hall manager, it's a labor of love

The society has fed the community for more than 70 years.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Five days a week, doors at the St. Vincent de Paul dining hall on Front Street open and people come in for a meal, conversation or a combination of the two.
St. Vincent de Paul Society has been operating a soup kitchen/dining hall in various locations around the city since the 1930s. The society asks for no compensation or identification from those who partake of meals -- anyone who is hungry can fall in line for a plate.
Lunch is served at the dining hall every weekday except Wednesday. Breakfast is served on Saturday. The hall is closed Sunday.
Skip Barone, dining hall manager, said the society also operates a store and food pantry. All three programs, he said, are run purely on donations and the efforts of about 22 participating parishes, churches and other organizations.
"We usually don't go out and solicit donations. We are very low-key. A lot of people don't even know we are here," he said.
A lot of people, however, are fully aware of the dining hall's existence. Barone said the dining hall will typically serve about 228 meals every day. The hall will sometimes serve as many as 1,500 meals in the course of a week.
Early start
Those preparing the meals start as early as 5:30 a.m. and stay until the last meal is served at about noon. The day invariably begins with a prayer. Most are longtime volunteers at the dining hall. Barone is the only paid employee at the hall.
Barone said many who regularly eat at the dining hall come not only for the food, but for the companionship while eating. He said most people who come regularly have gotten to know others, and they like to eat together.
Barone shudders at the thought of what might happen to some of the regulars at the dining hall should the society shut its doors. He said some might turn to panhandling and others might even turn to crime.
The dining hall, Barone said, is a labor of love. Many who use its services, he said, try to offer some form of assistance in return. Some who see an improvement in circumstances and no longer eat at the dining hall, he said, return to make donations or help out where needed.
jgoodwin@vindy.com