The goal of the Casa Maria Catholic Worker Community in Tucson is to practice the Works of Mercy and the Works of Justice. As part of these goals, Casa Maria operates a soup kitchen that is open 363 days/year. Dedicated volunteers from Santa Catalina travel to Casa Maria twice each month to distribute cups of soup and lunches to hundreds of under privileged men, women and children that line up daily for these rations. In addition to the serving of the soup and sack lunches, the parish conducts a monthly food drive to help fill the grocery bags of families in need. Items collected are then delivered by a parish volunteer to the food kitchen for distribution.
Volunteers are very positive about the overall experience as they meet the needs of this vulnerable and needy population. "One feels good about handing out a lunch or serving a bowl of soup as a part of our Catholic values to serve the hungry and the homeless."
Currently we have 2 groups of volunteers that help on the 3rd Wednesday and/or Friday of each month. We leave from Santa Catalina by 7:45am and finish up our tasks by 11 am. For more information about this ministry, please contact:
Al Crawford- sajm@santacatalinaparish.org
