Agencies, nonprofits, parishes are assisting with needs amid ongoing recovery from May 16 tornado
As tornado cleanup efforts continue across St. Louis, Father Dan Thiess has witnessed evidence of God’s providence on more than one occasion.
The Vincentian priest, chaplain for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and spiritual advisor/chaplain for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Archdiocesan Council of St. Louis, hit the ground running shortly after the May 16 storm, working with both organizations and his own Vincentian connections as they assist with the long task of recovery.
“I think of the words of St. Vincent: Go to the poor, and there you find God,” he said. “But let your love be creative to infinity. That’s what this is about.”
Father Thiess and Catholic Charities’ president and CEO Jared Bryson connected with Bishop Michael Robinson of Hope Nation International Church, whose church community has been grilling food and handing out other resources every day from a parking lot at the corner of Delmar and Euclid in the Fountain Park neighborhood since the evening of the storm.
Bottled water, frozen hamburgers from a St. Vincent de Paul food pantry that lost power, care bags filled with personal care items and shelf-stable snacks and paper products are among the items that Father Thiess has delivered there in the past week. He’s been overwhelmed by people’s generosity — and some of that has included unexpected donations, which he’s happy to get into the hands of those who need it.
“It’s every day, sometimes twice a day — with whatever I can collect,” Father Thiess said. “You see people in need, and St. Vincent said follow Christ and evangelize the poor. What did Jesus do? He fed people, He took care of people — it comes from Matthew 25.”
Bishop Robinson set up the distribution site a few hours after the tornado hit. He chose the location because of its proximity to an apartment building across the street that was damaged and its residents evacuated.
“I got a phone call from a friend as a community outreach worker and she said, ‘I just went past this building, and the people … are just sitting outside not knowing what’s going on, what’s going to happen.’ So I said, ‘Okay, we’re on the way.’” He recruited helpers to round up some canopy tents and grills and they got to work cooking and helping the displaced to find shelter. The site had been serving anywhere from 300 to 500 people a day.
“There are individuals who have so many questions about what’s next, and those kind of things I know disturb their peace,” Bishop Robinson said. “I just want to be a place of peace for just a little bit, where they can come and they don’t have to worry about what they’re going to eat. Just to bring some level of anxiety down. And then we just get to connect and encourage people.”
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities has begun the work of reaching out to individuals seeking long-term assistance. At least 1,500 requests for help have come in, with more expected as damages continue to be assessed.
Catholic Charities also has been working with its ministry sites, some of which had damage or lost power from the storm. McFarlane Place, a 24-unit apartment building in the Greater Ville neighborhood operated by St. Patrick Center, sustained roof damage and was still without power as of May 22. Residents were temporarily relocated, said John Coleman, senior director of programs, but were expected to return within the next few weeks.
Catholic Charities received a $100,000 donation from Medica, a nonprofit health insurance company, to support both immediate relief and long-term recovery efforts, the organizations announced May 23.
St. Louis Catholic Academy
More than a dozen families and staff at St. Louis Catholic Academy impacted by the tornado are receiving ongoing support from the school.
They’ve had “anything from power outages, to cars and houses being lost — everything being lost,” head of school Eric Cooper said. “It’s starting with just a phone call saying, we understand. We’re with you. We’re sympathetic, we’re praying for your family and we’re working on some things to help.”
The school has worked with the archdiocesan Office of Catholic Education and Formation, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and other parishes and archdiocesan offices to help families with physical and spiritual needs.
“It’s anything from needing a new place to live, to clothes, shoes, helping navigate the system and also food,” said Alice Prince, the school’s director of faith and formation. “We are directly connecting with families to offer them direct assistance.”
Parishioners at St. Josephine Bakhita, Assumption in Mattese and St. Francis Xavier (College) Church are helping to collect food, clothing, gift cards and other items. The school also has connected with the Office of Racial Harmony and the St. Charles Lwanga Center to offer spiritual support. Counselors from Catholic Charities’ Saint Louis Counseling have been available to families, too.
“It’s prayer and action,” Prince said. “We need resources, which is the action part, but we also need prayers. They are not walking this journey alone. People are plugging in where the need is — we show up in service and in prayer.”
Wellston Center
The Wellston Center has been collecting items including bottled water, tarps, clothing, diapers and other needed items to be distributed to several locations throughout the St. Louis area. Some items were delivered May 23 to St. Peter Claver Parish to be given to those in need. Another donation delivery was planned for the following week to Prodigal Home Ministries in Wellston.
The Wellston Center serves about 250 families (roughly 1,000 people) in four zip codes surrounding the center each month. Executive director Andrew Diemer said they have been connecting with families to find out what they need, which includes tarps to secure their residences and food. It has been difficult locating some clients, he added, which he suspects is because they have been displaced, remain without power or lack transportation.
U.S. Census data estimates that about 25% of residents in the zip codes served by the Wellston Center are food insecure, but local organizations estimate the rate may be closer to 33%. Diemer said he’s concerned the tornado will compound the food insecurity that already exists.
“We serve an area where there is widespread and high food insecurity,” Diemer said. “When the power goes out, they’re out of food, too. That’s the second biggest thing we’ve been hearing is that they will need more food than they did before.”
Claver House
On May 22, volunteers packed the back of a minivan with casseroles, boxes of pasta, bagels, bread and pastries and set off through the streets of the Ville neighborhood in north St. Louis, spreadsheet of names and addresses in hand.
John Ray walked back into his home with a casserole from volunteers with Claver House, a residential community in the Ville neighborhood. Volunteers checked in with neighborhood residents as they made their weekly casserole distribution.
Vickie Siering and Bill O’Neil stopped at about 20 houses, chatting with the residents as they handed them a casserole tray and bag of food. Fallen tree branches were piled on several curbs, and some homes bore roof damage and other signs of the May 16 tornado that barreled through the neighborhood.
Janet Robinson was out on her front porch when Siering and O’Neil pulled up to her neighbor’s house. The volunteers offered her a casserole, which she happily accepted; her power was still out, she said. Several large tree limbs were down in her neighbor’s yard, but her house had escaped significant damage.
Across the street, a couple refused the casserole delivery, telling Siering and O’Neil that they were lucky enough to have a generator and the food should go to someone who was in a worse situation.
Siering and O’Neil are regular volunteers with Claver House, a residential community rooted in Ignatian spirituality near St. Matthew the Apostle Church in the Ville. Every Thursday, volunteers bring casseroles, typically donated by groups including St. Ambrose and Ste. Genevieve du Bois parishes, and other food items to people in the neighborhood who could use a hot meal.
Claver House regularly hosts twice-monthly distributions of food and other supplies from its Kennerly Avenue location, and volunteers were planning an extra distribution event for May 24 to help meet the needs of those affected by the tornado.
At the same time, Claver House itself was dealing with damage from the storm; a fallen tree branch punctured a hole in the roof, and there was also damage to some bricks. A group of St. Louis University High School alumni helped clean up the property and laid tarp down on the roof.
Volunteers have also been responding to individual requests for help with clothing, food or other needs, said Jim Moore, a volunteer and member of the Claver House board of directors.
“We’re just amplifying that we do have some things posted on our website,” he said. “When we hear a neighbor call to say they need help, need clothing or whatever, we post it and people respond.”
Peter & Paul Community Services
Peter & Paul Community Services has opened space in its Community Campus in north St. Louis for 100 people displaced by the tornado damage, the organization said in a news release May 22.
“A home is more than bricks and mortar. It should provide physical and psychological safety. Last Friday, that safety net was destroyed for hundreds of our neighbors,” CEO Anthony D’Agostino said in the release. “We are heartbroken for everyone impacted, and as a community, we must respond as if they were our own family. That is our plan at PPCS.”
Peter & Paul Community Services is also partnering with BJC Hospital, the Urban League, Horizon Housing and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to also help connect those displaced with permanent housing as soon as possible.
Those being housed include residents of Alumnus Gardens, a senior living community located in the Ville neighborhood that sustained significant damage. Peter & Paul Community Services is also working with the Red Cross to open space in Benton Park as the need continues to grow, the release said.
