Challenge to End Hunger—Sr. Lorraine Amodeo, OP

“Go to the poor and you will find God.”  St. Vincent de Paul

Sr. Lorraine Amodeo, OP has been actively involved with the St. Vincent de Paul Ministry since 1980. When she moved to San Rafael in 2016, she began serving lunch weekly at the St. Vincent Dining Room. She found this ministry to be very rewarding. The guests who came for meals were served hot, nutritious, and full-course meals that always included dessert. She remarked, “The guests came not only for nourishment, but also for warmth, fellowship, and acceptance.” Getting to know the guests, sometimes by name, but mostly by face, was for Sister Lorraine, a special part of her time there.  “The challenging lives of those who came did not deprive them of gratitude or humor.”

During the pandemic, the dining room has been closed, but the kitchen crew and volunteers continue to serve take-out meals for both breakfast and lunch 24/7. A bag lunch is available to all at 12:30 pm daily. At the present time, volunteers over 65 years and older have had to be replaced with younger help. Sister Lorraine hopes that there will still be a place for her in the dining room when the pandemic is no longer a threat.

The Sisters at Dominican Convent have been making lunches once a month for the dining room and Sr. Anne Dolan, who is bilingual, answers the phone at the B Street office and relays the needs of those who call, to others, who will follow up with assistance. Over the years our sisters have been supportive of this ministry, not only on B street as volunteers but have also assisted with financial contributions.

For more information about St. Vincent’s Dining Room and to find out how you can help, please visit their website: https://www.vinnies.org

Sr. Lorraine Amodeo’s story is part of our 2021 Catholic Sisters Week series, a time during which we are participating in a Challenge to End Hunger in collaboration with other congregations. We aim to inspire our friends and neighbors to lend their support in any way they can to help end hunger, not just during Catholic Sisters Week, but throughout the year.

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