St. Ignatius’s Project 5000 Blesses the St. Anthony Center

In the biblical story of the fishes and the loaves (Mt. 14:13–21), Jesus fed 5,000 men, as well as women and children, with just two fish and five loaves of bread.

That’s the inspiration behind St. Ignatius of Loyola Church’s Project 5000, which this year provided about 400 bags of food, hygiene items, paper products, cleaning supplies, and other urgently needed essentials to St. Francis Seraph Ministries (SFSM) and our partners in the St. Anthony Center.

Since 2017, St. Ignatius has collected the items during Holy Week. BGR has delivered them to be distributed after Easter.

“Holy Week is about sacrifice and love, and this just fits right in to all that,” says Kathy Kaufman, who coordinates Project 5000 for the Monfort Heights parish.

Project 5000 began over 30 years ago through St. Ignatius’s Respect Life group. The group wanted to expand its ministry to support all life, especially people who were struggling. For many years, St. Ignatius delivered its donations to St. John Social Service Center, which was located in Over-the-Rhine.

After St. John closed in 2016, Kathy says, SFSM was the perfect place to begin supporting. The St. Ignatius group liked the fact that SFSM also works with underserved neighbors in OTR. And, they appreciated that SFSM has a reputation as an organization trusted to put donations to their best possible use.

“They don’t just hand somebody a bag; they walk with them through the aisles,” Kathy says. “They show respect for people’s abilities. They really get involved in feeding bodies and souls.”

The same is true for St. Ignatius. The bags they donated might have been filled with things like shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, and snacks, but what they really gave was something much more important: hope.

“I’m overwhelmed by the love and kindness shown by the community at St. Ignatius,” SFSM Executive Director Mary Pat Raupach says. “Especially at a time when the higher cost of living is impacting everyone, their choice to give so freely and generously is deeply meaningful and very appreciated.”

All of us at the St. Anthony Center — SFSM, along with our friends at Center for Respite Care, Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health, Haircuts from the Heart, Mary Magdalen House, and Welcome Home Collaborative — are immensely grateful for the generosity of the parishioners at St. Ignatius. Thank you for helping to nourish and nurture our neighbors in need!