Andre House- What We Do

The organization I am working with, Andre House, was started just over 25 years ago by two Holy Cross priests.  It is still run by the Holy Cross but has vastly increased the services it provides.  What started as soup served out of the back of a van is now an organization with three buildings (two transitional homes and the large outreach center).

The outreach center is the most visible part of Andre House's mission.  We serve dinner 6 days a week here for an hour with anywhere from 400 to 700 meals served.  Seeing as it is the end of the month (meaning disability checks, food stamps, and social security that were mailed at the beginning of the month have run out now for many people), we have been above 650 meals almost every day this week.  25-30 volunteers come every night in addition to the staff in order to prepare the meals.  Seeing as each day has a different set of volunteers, I been introduced to a new set every day, and definitely need to work on names!

In addition to the meal, Andre House is open during the day to provide a variety of other services for the homeless or impoverished in the area.  We offer laundry, showers, hygiene products, medicine, telephones, and a clothing closet, all entirely free.  Most importantly, in my opinion, we offered shaded benches outside and seating inside to keep people cool.