UPDATE | St. Vincent de Paul hall closed; Skip busy serving lunch

YOUNGSTOWN — A downtown dining hall for the needy is closed for an unspecified amount of time.

St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall, located on Front Street, is "temporarily closed due to maintenance issues," according to a sign posted on its door.

The Vindicator reported June 21 that an upstairs ceiling had collapsed at the facility, leading the organization to serve meals outside that day.

Meals are not being served outdoors at this time.

Although St. Vincent is closed, there are other places downtown where free meals are available.

One is Our Community Kitchen. Kitchen Manager Ralph "Skip" Barone said his organization is "absolutely" able to accommodate people who usually eat at St. Vincent. He said lunch today was slightly busier than usual, but that the facility and kitchen can handle it.

Our Community Kitchen serves breakfast and lunch six days per week.

"Everyone is welcome," he said. "We ask no questions. And we offer them a bag to take home with an evening snack."