It’s nearly dinner time at St. Matthew’s House and the kitchen is bustling as music wafts through the air.
Resident Phillip Chirchirillo slathers avocado mayo on an assembly line of bread, 120 slices in rows on the table, before other ingredients — turkey, bacon, tomatoes and lettuce — are added.
Overseeing food preparation, including outside its major fundraiser Cars On Fifth, is Program Chef Manager Sean O’Connor. He also supervises food preparation for the main shelter, Campbell House on Airport Road, Justin’s Place Feeding Ministry Soup Kitchen, Immokalee Friendship House and the Fort Myers Women & Children’s Shelter in Fort Myers.
“In this facility alone, we do 18,000 meals a month,” Connor said of the homeless shelter at 2001 Airport Road S. “There are 150 residents here every single day, so every meal.”
In addition, St. Matthew’s House prepares 300 meals per day for people living on the streets who are served by residents in recovery at Justin’s Place; provides groceries at the Community Choice Pantry on Domestic Avenue nearby; and provides food for partners, including NAMI’s Sarah Ann Life Skills & Support Center and Lighthouse of Collier.
Last year, St. Matthew’s House provided food to 2.75 million people through its community kitchens, mobile-food distribution sites and food pantries.
WINK News’ March to a Million Meals fundraiser, which continues through February, is a crucial part of funding the programs. Donations help Harry Chapin Food Bank buy and distribute food to various shelters, soup kitchens and pantries, including St. Matthew’s House.
“March to a Million Meals plays a critical role in funding these programs, allowing the food bank to purchase and distribute nutritious food, sustain operations and respond quickly to urgent food needs across Southwest Florida,” said Ryan Uhler, the food bank’s communications director.
Harry Chapin Food Bank rescues food that normally would go to waste, gathering donations from supermarkets, food manufacturers, local farms and community food drives and distributing them to hungry children, families and seniors through programs that feed more than 250,000 residents monthly.
Last year, the food bank and its 175 partner agencies, including St. Matthew’s House, distributed 39.5 million pounds of food, including 1.354 million meals paid for by WINK News viewers who contributed to the March to a Million Meals fundraiser. Each dollar donated equates to $2 of meals. To contribute, go to winkfeedsfamilies.com.
St. Matthew’s House’s annual operating expenses total $51.98 million, with $3.75 million obtained through fundraising and $23.75 million from grants and contributions. LuLu’s Kitchen, a restaurant and training facility where anyone can purchase breakfast, lunch and dinner, and Delicious By Design catering company both funnel revenues to St. Matthew’s House programs, which also help the homeless learn culinary and agricultural trades and get jobs.
O’Connor started off as a resident and completed a substance-abuse recovery program before working as an intern in the recovery center and rising through various kitchen jobs to supervise all facilities, where he’s been for three years.
On this day, everyone in the kitchen also is working on St. Matthew’s top fundraiser, the 21st Annual Cars On 5th Concours. To accomplish such large fundraisers, St. Matthew’s House culinary teams from four counties work to get it done.
“We do a lot of things,” O’Connor said. “We give back what we get.”
Naples Press Associate Editor Ed Scott contributed to this story.
This story was published in The Naples Press on Feb. 14.
