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November 19, 2020Sister BJ’s Pantry has taken the ministry on the road with the use of a new “mobile meals” bus. Going mobile allows volunteers to bring meals, clothing and even prayer to their friends on the streets while helping keep everyone safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s really one of the few ways we can get out there and see our friends who are still on the street because we can’t have large gatherings anymore,” Sister Barbara Joseph said.
Sister BJ’s mobile meals travel around downtown Oklahoma City on Sunday mornings in search of those who need assistance. She said she recognizes the impact her ministry has on the less fortunate, but said her volunteers often receive as much good from the ministry as the people they serve.
“It happens all of the time,” she said. “The ministry helps the volunteers’ faith. It shows them that God really does provide for us.”
Their new bus is one of the most recent examples of God’s continual provision for the ministry.
Within one month of their idea to search for a bus, they had found and secured one. Sister Barbara Joseph said the day after they decided to purchase the bus, she opened a letter with a check inside big enough to cover its expense.
“It was kind of obvious,” she chuckled, “We were doing what the Lord was asking of us.”
After the bus was acquired, renovations ensured they could keep people safe while providing the storage space needed. Over the next month, seats were pulled and shelving and a new plexiglass window were installed to allow volunteers to safely hand out food and other items.
Ryan Maxwell, a volunteer for the past four years, said he saw a lot of people living on the street during the pandemic and wondered how many of those people could be found on Sunday mornings. It didn’t take long for them to begin reconnecting with friends, old and new.
“We quickly learned we would be able to get them a hot breakfast, socks, hygiene products and blankets,” Maxwell says. “Once you begin to make friends with people on the street, it’s hard on volunteers not to be able to see them. To reconnect with them was really great.”
The bus only has been in service since October, but volunteers already serve about 100 hot meals every Sunday.
The ministry is supported by monetary gifts and volunteers, especially those from The Order of Malta of Saint Eugene, who get up early every Sunday to cook, assemble and package breakfast burritos.
Pam Archer, a volunteer for the past six years, said it’s fun for her to yell out the window, “Hot breakfast! Who wants a hot breakfast?!”
“I absolutely love it,” she said. Archer and her husband, Tim, volunteer together for both the pantry and Sister BJ’s foot clinic.
“It’s fun because when someone yells out the window, ‘Do you want a free hot breakfast?’ they are so happy and grateful. It’s just wonderful.”
The bus was blessed by Archbishop Coakley and recently applied graphics to help people better identify it.
To support Sister BJ’s mobile meals to help with gas and other expenses, go online to srbjpantry.com. The pantry also has a Facebook page.
Eliana Tedrow is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
