Volunteering at The St. Patrick's Center

My humanities and western culture class this semester is requiring us to do 18 hours of service work at any organization of our choosing. I decided to volunteer at the St. Patrick’s center located downtown here in St. Louis. St. Patrick’s Center is a organization that provides assistance to homeless people or people in risk of being homeless. Their central location downtown makes them one of the main places where the hungry and homeless can find help.
Their website states their mission as, “St. Patrick Center provides opportunities for self-sufficiency and dignity to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Individuals and families build permanent, positive change in their lives through safe and affordable housing, sound mental and physical health, and employment and financial stability (SPC.com2012).
This is exactly what they do. They’re not only a place where someone can find shelter but they also offer employment opportunities and training programs to help someone become ready to enter the work force. They offer programs to council people on any mental or spiritual health needs including substance abuse. In 2011 alone they helped council 3,193 people for mental illness or substance abuse (SPC.com2012). The St. Patrick’s center has multiple programs assisting in mental health including: Assertive Community Treatment, Casserole Program, city Seeds Urban Farm, Mobile Outreach, Shamrock Club Day Treatment Program, Shamrock Club Intensive Case Management, Shamrock Club Women’s night Program.

There are many different opportunities for someone to volunteer and get involved. You are not limited to only doing certain tasks when you volunteer your time. There are many different opportunities depending upon what skills you have and would like to do. There is also always someone there answering phones in a friendly manner willing to speak with you and answer any questions that you have. They will also direct you to certain areas or events they could really use help with. Their broad range of programs assisting people make it possible for anyone and everyone to be able to help in some way.

I’ve decided to volunteer within the Casserole Program. We help provide the meals that SPC and their programs will use to feed everyone everyday that needs assistance. Its very fulfilling knowing that you are helping someone in need. It may seem trivial but if you weren’t there doing it then less meals would get done, so you truly are making a difference. We shouldn’t limit the help we do for others just because we feel it is not enough.

My friend told me that she saw a homeless person on the corner the other day but she had no change to give him. She searched all around her car and had nothing but her water bottle she just bought. She told me she felt like it was nothing but decided to give it to him anyway. Then the women behind her rolled down her window and gave the man a apple. The moral of the story is I bet the woman behind her wouldn’t of gave the man her apple if my friend hadn’t just gave him a water bottle. Let’s create positive chain reactions. What we can do by ourselves is small but added together it makes a difference.

Here is a video on The St. Patrick’s Center Mental Health Programs


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_frn_m3mFy8