Dozens of bright green apples were being placed in 120 lunch bags Monday morning at McAuley House.

Chili nachos, protein bars, chips, cookies, and bottles of water filled the bags for the Providence-based non-profit’s popular Lunch on Us program. It provides more than 5,000 hot lunches a month to folks who need it most.

National Grid is one of the long-time participants that sponsor a month’s worth of lunches in May, spending $10,000 to provide the meals. With thousands of families in Rhode Island still impacted financially by the pandemic, the service has never been more popular.  

“We really appreciate sponsors like National Grid, having them as a partner who has been this generous for so many years is really wonderful,” said Barbara Haynes, the Executive Director for McAuley Ministries. “Without partners like National Grid, we would struggle to provide compassionate care and critical food for the most vulnerable in our community.” The Lunch on Us program started in 2007 and National Grid has been a proud sponsor since its inception. 

The Providence-based non-profit is located just a few blocks from National Grid Rhode Island’s headquarters on Melrose Street. McAuley Ministries is sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy and located on Elmwood Avenue in Providence. Their ministry provides food, clothing, shelter, health services, emotional support, and guidance to the most vulnerable. Three ministries support the community: McAuley House is a meal site and social service center, McAuley Village offers transitional living for single moms and children and The Warde-Robe, a thrift store in Central Falls.  

 “This is a high-density low-income area and people have always relied on us, and now during this coronavirus, we have more people who need us than ever before,” said Haynes.

On the first Monday in May, those 120 lunches were packed and ready to be handed through a porch window. Folks started to gather outside of McAuley House an hour before lunches were distributed. Before the coronavirus, patrons would sit inside the dining room and be served hot lunches. Now they gather in the gated backyard, where picnic tables and chairs dot the lawn, offering people a peaceful and socially distant place to eat their meal.  

There is also a food pantry in the backyard, where clients can stock up on fresh vegetables, fruit, sandwiches, and more. One of the McAuley House staff regularly saves delivery orders of ham bones in the freezer for a client’s dog.

Treating people with hospitality, compassion, and dignity is the mission of McAuley House and it’s one that Shannon Rivers, a case manager there, is proud to be a part of.

In addition to providing hot meals, this winter, the staffers at McAuley House provided the homeless with emergency survival kits. Consisting of a backpack filled with long johns, woolen socks, hand warmers, a tent, and a sleeping bag. “We do this for our community and for the homeless,” Rivers said. “We think about them every night we go home, and we want them to be warm.” 

McAuley House is always looking for volunteers to help bag lunches and stock the food pantry. If you’d like more information, please head to https://mcauleyri.org/.

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