Serving During Lent

During this time as we prepare for Easter let us take a few moments at the end of our days to reflect upon the opportunities that we have had to serve. Certainly, as college students and being able to have the time and ability to give back means that we are blessed in our own lives in a tremendous way. God has called each of us to serve his people through our collective ministry of sandwich making where we come together around the table and break bread in an effort to provide food for the hungry. Some might view our work as "just making sandwiches," however what we are doing when looked upon through a different lens is actually even more! Serving by means of making sandwiches is an act of love and during this time of Lent we are called to share in the Cross and respond to carrying that heavy load. I am sure that each of us has our own burdens our own crosses that we bare daily. Jesus carried the cross, but he did not do it alone! Simon of Cyrene saw the struggling Christ exhausted, beaten down, and on the brink of death while he was on the road to crucifixion at Golgatha. That is right, Jesus needed help carrying the Cross and in that we have a great lesson of service. By serving others through our efforts of sandwich making we help our fellow brothers and sisters of Syracuse to carry their cross, the cross of hunger. Whether we are making the sandwiches, serving at the Samaritan Center, volunteering at the Oxford Street Inn, or giving back in another way, we have the power and ability to make an impact. The cross unfortunately will continue to be present in our world as a result of greed, selfishness, pride, and a lack of love. Therefore, it is up to people like us, the LMC Sandwich makers to serve and provide hope through the bread (food) we provide each week. I urge each of you to think more about the ministry that you take part in, to also think where in my life do I see the face of God each day, and what other places am I being called to serve. After all Jesus did make it to the place of the skull thanks to the help of Simon of Cyrene, he was crucified and did die. Yet, Easter was the third day where he resurrected and this gives us hope for our lives. Let us try to be a beacon of light and of hope for our fellow brothers and sisters. Keep on serving and know that you are the face of God for others every day!

Serving Throughout our Lifetime

Recently, it has been great having some new faces at sandwiches. It is always nice to get some new members of the Le Moyne community involved in service. Over the past few weeks we have been blessed with the presence of a number of different volunteers. This evening it was a privilege to be able to work with Andrew's Grandpa, Bob. Making the PB&J sandwiches with Grandpa Bob was a real treat and having him around our group was great! Bob, who is in his later 70s provided some good humor and stories to the group which made many of us laugh. Making sandwiches with Bob reminded me of the importance of serving others throughout the course of our lives. As I observed this older man spread the Jelly on the wheat bread I could tell that he really cared about what he was doing. Knowing Andrew and the family that he comes from, I realize that Bob has done a good amount of volunteering of his own throughout his lifetime. Even though he is older now, Bob continues to plug along and to give back. Reflecting upon what I witnessed with Grandpa Bob at sandwiches spoke loudly to me that service is an ongoing and life long human responsibility. As members of the human community, I believe that it is our responsibility to help others, serve, and provide our gifts and talents to better the lives of others in our world. Just as Jesus did not stop serving and giving of himself even to the point of death and the cross, so we must be devoted on a daily basis, week by week, and year by year toward giving what we can back. Service is something that is continuous and the job will never be finished. As a result of the injustices such as poverty, war, oppression, and other negative factors that plague our world, we must continue to work day by day together to make a difference. Bob showed me this example in his efforts tonight, as I hope that when I am in my later years in life that I can look back and know that I have made a conscious and consistent effort to reach out to those in need and provide a helping hand. It is never too late to start volunteering and service. Therefore, I urge our sandwich makers and fellow volunteers to continue to keep up the good work, be grateful for all that we do have, and know that to those which more has been given, more is expected in return. May God bless you and may you continue to show your compassion toward your fellow man. Thank you for serving!

Eclipsing the 10,000 Sanwiches Made Mark

It is important to recognize and congratulate our group on eclipsing the 10,000 sandwiches made mark over the past two and a half years. As a result of the hard work and determination of the Le Moyne College sandwich makers, we have proudly been able to make 10,095 Sandwiches between the fall of 2009 and the present date. All of these sandwiches have been enjoyed by the guests at the Samaritan Center over the past years. It is truly amazing to see how an idea thought of by our very own Andrew Lunetta, has been able to transform the lives of those we serve and those who are taking part in the serving. LMC Sandwich makers has feed hundreds of mouths and has allowed many students to take part in the Jesuit Mission of Serving our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. It is evident that we have made a difference thus far and will continue to do so in the future. On behalf of our group I would like to extend our appreciation of all of the hours of service at the table together making the sandwiches, as well as the diligence of Anil and Andrew who have worked together to coordinate this great service project over the past years. It is my hope and the hope of our group that LMC Sandwich makers is only scratching the surface and that someday after generations of service, the sandwich making which began in the confines of Nelligan Hall will have been continued here in Syracuse and hopefully will have spread as an initiative to new avenues. Ghandi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Through this ministry of providing a meal, LMC Sandwich makers has helped to be a change in the local Syracuse community in order to provide a bag lunch service to the needy on a regular basis. Therefore, let us continue the good work together and know that through helping hands we all can make an impact in our communities by giving of our talents and time. God bless you and may you have a wonderful spring break to come back to the mustard, mayo, bread, lettuce, cheese, ham, turkey, and PBJ which we call LMC Sandwich makers!

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!