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Volunteers at St. Charles make meals for St. Vincent de Paul dining hall
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Members of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Boardman volunteer with the second Monday of the month kitchen crew. From left are Barbara Oliver, Mary Grace Fowler and Roe Palazzo. The food they make is served at St. Vincent de Paul dining hall in Youngstown.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
boardman
Three kitchen crews at St. Charles Borromeo Church make quick work of preparing food that is served at St. Vincent de Paul dining hall, 208 W. Front St., Youngstown
Caroline and John Berg, church members for 20 years, coordinate the project. They’ve been involved 12 years and expanded the food ministry to preparing food three times a month for the soup kitchen.
From September through May, Caroline Berg said the crews make the food the first three Mondays of the month. The first and third Mondays are morning sessions; the second Monday, an afternoon one. Each crew has about 12 volunteers.
“Lots of people want to do this. ... It’s a popular activity,” she said. The three cooking sessions spread out the project among the membership.
On the first and second Mondays, the crews make penne pasta with chickpeas seasoned with Italian spices. On other days, they make chili mac with rotini pasta and kidney beans flavored with chili spices. Both are tomato-based and keep well, Caroline Berg said.
Each person has a job or fills in where needed. The crews prepare enough food to feed between 200 and 250 people.
“I enjoy cooking, and this needed to be done,” Berg said. “It has really blossomed.”
She tweaked the recipes to prepare something tasty, filling and packed with protein and fiber.
Skip Barone, manager of the St. Vincent de Paul dining hall, said St. Charles’ contributions are a mainstay of Wednesday’s menu. “It’s a substantial meal and a good winter food,” Barone said. St. Vincent de Paul picks up the food on Tuesdays.
He noted the dining hall volunteers add a salad and garlic bread to fill out the menu. The dining hall serves some 225 meals each weekday.
“The clients love it, and it’s certainly well-received,” he said.
The St. Charles crews also make gelatin with fruit for a crowd. It’s an alternative to cake or pastries.
Barone said St. Charles’ steady contribution helps hold the line on the society’s dining hall annual budget, which is about $150,000. “It certainly saves us the expense,” Barone said. “The price of ground beef is high.”
The St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Charles is part of the Mahoning County organization. It and the church underwrite the food contribution to the dining hall.
For example, the recipes calls for 15 pounds of ground beef and about 14 pounds of pasta. Large cans of tomatoes, along with onions and green peppers, are used in the recipe.
Roe Palazzo, a church member for 35 years, said she likes being involved because she “likes doing for people who need it.”
Rosemary and Jerry Roach, members for 59 years, oversee the Monday afternoon shift. “You just get a good feeling doing something like this,” she said.
Her husband added, “If she’s involved, I’m involved, too. It’s best to keep busy.”
Barone said St. Charles is among 22 organizations that contribute food and volunteer hours to the dining hall. He noted St. Dominic Church in Youngstown prepares soup regularly, and St. Paul the Apostle Church in New Middletown donates pirogi.
Leftovers from various church spaghetti dinners also are donated to the dining hall.