Helping Hands Around the Holidays

During this time of year it is especially important for us all to take time to give back to others. Many of us are incredibly blessed with financial security, a good job, great education, and all of our basic needs. However, there are many who are struggling and during this holiday time could use a helping hand. As people it is our way of caring for others that makes this world a better place. By small acts of kindness and taking some time out of our day to show our love we can make a difference.

Tonight in Foery Hall, here at Le Moyne College, members of the college community have gathered to assemble self care packages for the Homeless of Syracuse. Through the generosity of the Le Moyne community and funding provided by different clubs on campus, we were able to accumulate enough resources to provide 119 self care packages to the homeless at the Oxford Street Inn. Each self care package includes a bar of soap, a tooth brush, tooth paste, deodorant, floss, and is nicely decorated for a personal touch. We also have included some candy and treats as well. It is amazing to see students and some Le Moyne staff come together to join in an effort to serve others. This is a prime example that reflects that Le Moyne cares and that their are students and members of this community who strive daily to live out the Jesuit ideals of faith, service, and leadership.

It is certainly a great blessing to be able to do something so good for so many and we must continue our work by being men and women for others in all we do. Projects such as this one do not cost all that much when people contribute some donations and most importantly their time. By giving back to our fellow people we are able to do something small together that makes a big difference in their lives.

I want to extend my gratitude to everyone who has made this service program "Helping Hands Around the Holidays" a success. It is my hope that each of us will take some time during this Advent season to reflect on our own lives, the service that we do, and what we are being called to do in the future.

May God bless you all and grant you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season with good tidings and joy!

Topping the 2,000 Sandwich Plateau for Fall Semester

Thanks to the efforts of our LMC Sandwich makers we have now made over 2,000 sandwiches for the guests at the Samaritan Center during this fall semester. This marks the best sandwich making rate so far in our history!! The good work will most definitely keep up for the next few weeks as we meet until the end of classes! Next semester we will have our wonderful friend Andrew Lunetta back, the guy who created this sandwich making initiative. Andrew, often referred to as the "Sandwich Maestro" will be back after serving the men and women of Nogales, Mexico. For those who do not know Andrew, it will be great for you to get to know him and meet the man who had a vision to make a big difference to the men and women of Syracuse and create a large service opportunity twice a week for students here at Le Moyne. Well, let us keep up the good work and know that on behalf of the LMC Sandwich makers we are all thankful during this Thanksgiving season for all your help and service of others.

Topping the 1,000 Sandwich Mark for the Semester!

We did it!! Thanks to the valiant efforts of our LMC Sandwiching making team we have officially topped the 1,000 sandwich plateau for this fall 2010 semester. After last weeks total of 111 sandwiches we are at 1,053 sandwiches for the semester. This is a record breaking rate for our team which is quite exciting. It has been outstanding to get more consistency lately with volunteers and I encourage you all to keep joining us on Mondays at 9pm in the Saint Mary's basement and at our new time of 8pm on Wednesdays in Campus Ministry! The men and women at the Samaritan Center have expressed their gratitude multiple times for our services, therefore I wanted to extend this to you all. Together we are making a difference and it is a great feeling and awesome to know that through a simple act we provide lunch for members of our Syracuse community. Well, I hope you are all rested and ready to continue sandwiches on Wednesday. All the best and God bless!

LMC Sandwich Makers Kickoff the 2010-11 School Year

Hello Sandwich Crew!! It was great to have everyone back on board for the 2010-11 Sandwich making. We would like to most of all welcome the new members and the first year students for taking a big step and joining us in service here at Le Moyne. It was so good to see every one's smiling faces as we made 121 sandwiches for the Samaritan Center. It is your efforts and a little bit of your time on Mondays and Wednesdays that makes providing a bag lunch service for our fellow brothers and sisters of Syracuse possible. Speaking on behalf of our group, I can already tell that this is going to be an awesome year because we have so many energetic and helpful members who are committed to serving others. Throughout the year please feel free to come up with suggestions of other service projects that you would like to see our group do in the community. All of your ideas are appreciated. Well team, it was a good start and we hope to see you all on Wednesday for round two of week one of sandwich makers. Know that you care of your fellow man and woman goes far and that they are truly appreciative as am I to see you reaching out to those in need. Keep up the great work!

Bible Study: Love Thy Enemy

Certainly, man does not "live by bread alone" (Luke 4:4) and this has become evident with our involvement at the Oxford Street Inn Bible study on Friday Nights. Each week a group of brothers comes together to share in a reflection, study, and prayerful conversation on a specific topic. Tonight the topic of study was loving thy enemy. Many of us have a hard enough time loving our relatives or friends all the time when they may annoy us, get on our nerves, or do something that disappoints us. However, to love one's enemy requires the greatest gift of all which is selfless love. Loving one's enemy is not easy and it really is not all that simple either. The type of love that Jesus calls us to is one that is for all people, a forgiving love, and a reconciling love. At the Ox tonight we discussed various situations where we have been hurt by others who deliberately sought to bring us down whether with words, actions, or violence. In these instances we recognized how badly we felt as love was abscent because of the evil done to us by our conterpart. One's natural response in such situations would often be to shout something nasty back, use physical force, or seek revenge. However, in order to love one's enemy the opposite must be done. Instead, we as Christians must combat evil and hatred with kindness and love. It is in times of hardship where we are being attacked that we must remember the message of Proverbs 12:16, "the fool immediately shows his anger, but the shrewd man passes over an insult" and further in Prov 12:20, "Deceit is in the hands of those who plot evil, but those who counsel peace have joy." As Christians, our Father knows that we are not perfect but urges us to combat evil with love, a love not just for those whom it is easy to love but especially a love for those who are enemies to the cross of Christ. In addition, we reflected and conversed much on the message of love in 1 Corinthians 13. We learned by reading the word that one can have all things such as faith to move mountains, gifts of prophecy or different tongues or talents, and even all knowledge, yet if we do not have love we are nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 states, "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." For with the Love of Christ first in our hearts all of the time, even when the enemy takes a shot at us we will be able to pray for him or her, love him or her, and do our best to respect him or her. Sometimes the best way for us to love our enemy is to avoid them so that peace my prevail. So we urge you brothers and sisters to think before you act and let the spirit overcome the flesh when your enemy attacks you so that love my reign and you will be filled with true joy by God who sees the good that you do.

Thank you All

Hey guys,

I just want to thank all of you who have helped out with sandwiches this year. I looked forward to every Monday and Wednesday evening because of you all. I hope that next year the sandwich making will continue with the same attitude and spirit as this year.

Also, thanks to all of you who attended the Sam Center Awards Dinner this evening. It was really nice to have a group of Le Moyne STUDENTS there. Keep up the great work all and have a safe and productive summer. Keep doing good stuff!


Thanks all...



... I thought in the spirit of Cinco de Mayo... a few days late!

Exciting Stuff!

Hey all!

So Wednesday, tomorrow, is our last sandwiching of the semester... I know...
But I have some great news about how our little program has spread beyond the Le Moyne community.
I also have some notes I need you all to sign. So I hope to see you all there. Good luck with finals and studying and take care...

Thanks all.

Just Lend an Ear

I am always surprised at how powerful the act of listening is. This afternoon I had a long chat with a good friend of mine. This fella has lived in a local shelter for 32 years and may be the smartest individual I know. Despite hours of conversation, I had never asked him, before tonight, how he thinks the homeless and disadvantaged population of Syracuse can be better served. However when I did open my ears and when I became receptive, I heard some extremely profound and insightful things. Things that I know as college students, we can implement. An act as simple as listening goes a mighty far way...


Thanks all.

Give new things a try

Hello all,
I would first like to start off by saying what a great idea this blog is. It is a great way to see what others are involved in on and off campus and it enables us to bounce ideas off of each other. Thanks to my good friends, I have also been allowed the experience of volunteering at the Samaritan Center for the past few months and it has been my sincere pleasure. I feel positive that I have received so much more from the guests and volunteers then I have given during the time I have spent at the Samaritan Center. This experience has given me a larger understanding of the need for help everywhere, not only around the world but in our own backyards as well. The other volunteers are great resources as they are all involved in other local projects. The guests have allowed me the opportunity to gain an alternative perspective on a lifestyle different from my own. I had been hoping for a new experience I could get involved with at College and once the Samaritan Center was offered as a suggestion, I jumped on the opportunity! Even though I had only done very brief work like this before and was (I'll admit it) a tad bit intimdated, I think the important thing is to see what others are doing and to know that you do not have to necessarily reinvent the wheel with new ideas but to feel out what others are doing and give it a try.

Some great news...

Howdy all,

Thanks to the Sodexo Foundation, the Le Moyne College Sandwich Makers have been donated $1,000 that we can give to the charity of our choice.

Thank you everyone for your continued dedication. Without your help this program never would have left the ground. And a big big thanks to the Le Moyne College Campus Ministry Office, the Le Moyne College Dining Service, and all the other people who have allowed the Le Moyne College Sandwich Makers to keep doing what we do every Monday and Wednesday night.

Thanks all.

Letter Writing

I dig receiving a letter. Not an email, but a real, handwritten, 44 cent, coffee stained letter. I know that I am not alone. In fact some of the fellas at the Oxford Street Inn Homeless Shelter have told me about their joy in opening a letter specifically for them.

So, if you're interested, let me know if you'd like to write to one of the gentlemen. A simple once a week letter can do so much good. You may never hear from the friend you write to, but understand that it truly brightens up their day and week. Remember we aren't doing our work for the thank you.

Thanks all.



O, I really liked what Dan said here: "No matter what we do in terms of service or interacting with others, we must always remember that a smile and listening can go a long way."

Serving at the Samaritan Center

Since the beginning of September I have been fortunate enough to volunteer every Thursday morning at the Samaritan Center, the local soup kitchen in Syracuse. I first learned about this opportunity from Andrew and decided to go one day after hearing all about the wonderful service that is provided as well as the people who work and eat there. Needless to say, the Samaritan Center does a good job of providing meals for the hungry. I have enjoyed spending each Thursday morning doing a variety of tasks from washing and drying treys, cleaning the dishes, making the food in the kitchen, and actually serving the meals to the guests. Each role has been fun and enjoyable as I have had the chance to work alongside some of my friends and have also met very interesting and kind hearted people who volunteer as well. Not only have I enjoyed serving the guests, I have also taken to talking to some of them whom I know now on a more personal basis. This part of the service at the Samaritan Center is great. It is nice to see those whom I have met and know from the OX down town at soup kitchen, as these friendly faces always brighten my day. I have learned from observing the likes of Andrew and I encourage others who volunteer to get to know the guests whom we serve. It is a vital part of what it means to care not only about the physical needs one has, but to extend the loving community and support of our fellow brothers and sisters by taking a real interest in their lives. One's consistency of service and volunteering on a regular basis is important and strikes a cord with those whom we serve. With that said, my time at the Samaritan Center has been one of service, fun, and a learning experience which I hope to continue throughout my stay in Syracuse. No matter what we do in terms of service or interacting with others, we must always remember that a smile and listening can go a long way.

Burrito Projet

This is a pretty neat project that started in LA, check it out....

http://www.myspace.com/burritoproject

My Experience at the OX

Since February I have been fortunate enough to have been consistently visiting the Oxford Street Inn, the local men's Shelter in Syracuse. Every Friday evening I have been helping run and participate in a Bible study where a group of men, including myself and another volunteer, come together and discuss a passage and/or a key theme for the day. My experience of delving into the Word with my fellow brothers has been of great value, as I have learned more about my faith and how to live it out on a regular basis. In the discussions we have shared our experiences from our lives and how God has safeguarded us and guided us along the journey of life no matter how rocky or smooth each of our paths may have been. These sessions and talks have helped me have new incites and grow in understanding and faith. By engaging in prayerful dialogue with my fellow brothers at the OX, I have received plentiful insight into what it means to be a community and faithful follower of the Gospel. The guys at the OX are amazing and have taught me a great deal through their openness, personal testimonies, knowledge of the Scriptures, and how they view life. There is no doubt that I have been blessed and that God has opened my eyes to see how important it is to go and spread the Good News to all people. I can confidently and thankfully say that when I am at the OX, which is a homeless shelter in the "worst part of Syracuse," all of the walls and barriers that so often keep us apart due to our inability to see beyond and love all people are broken down. By studying the Word and engaging in prayerful reflections, this Bible study has blessed me with new friends, new brothers in Christ, and an increased desire to love as Christ did without counting the cost.

Welcome All

Hey there all,

Thanks for checking in on the Sandwich Makers. We are a group of friends who gather together twice a week to make sandwiches for the needy men, women, and children of Syracuse. Further, we facilitate a weekly writing group and a Bible study class held at a local homeless shelter.

The two organizations that have had a significant impact on our service have been the Samaritan Center Soup Kitchen (www.thesamaritancenter.com) and the Oxford Street Inn Homeless Shelter.

We welcome anyone to join us for sandwich making Monday and Wednesday nights at 8:30 pm in the Nelligan Lounge. If you feel called to the writing group (Wednesday 6pm-7pm) or Bible study (Friday 7pm-830pm) please join us.

Most importantly, if you have any ideas or projects that you feel would be helpful to the needy and homeless of Syracuse and feel that all you need is a foot in the door, feel free to contact us with any questions. Serve with love and passion and it can't fail.

Thank you all and take care...