Toledo’s Labre Program
An SJJ volunteer passing out drinks at one of their meet up spots. Photo courtesy of Samantha Meklus.
By Lillian Sansom ‘25
TOLEDO, OH – Students from Saint Ursula Academy and Saint John's Jesuit High School get together every Monday afternoon—rain or sunny, holiday or school day, summer or winter—to perform one minor act of faith: supplying food and camaraderie to the hungry and homeless of Toledo. This act of faith has evolved into our program "Labre."
For the last 12 years, every Monday afternoon students gather at one of the two schools to prepare and package food for Toledo's homeless and hungry community. Once the meal is prepared, they have a quick prayer session. After that, the group rides together to three different areas where they serve food and engage with locals, many of whom just want to talk. The students bring a journal with them, write down the names of everyone they served, then return to the school to think about all the individuals they have met, offer prayers for each of them, and make a note of any particular demands before their next visit.
As Samantha Meklus stated, “Each week is always different.”
Despite having begun with SJJ, Labre quickly shifted to SUA and is now a significant component of both NDA and Central Catholics' volunteer work.
As a dependable volunteer Chrissy Rode stated, "People still need to eat," and that didn't stop when Covid-19 occurred. Labre had persisted throughout Covid and continued doing its job: feeding the hungry and homeless. According to Rode, this was one of the more remarkable times in Labre's history. The parents and other adult volunteers had to be resilient and tenacious during this period due to the fact that they were unable to bring students along.
The volunteers making sandwiches for the hungry and homeless. Photo courtesy of Samantha Meklus.
They have never missed a day in the 12 years that this program has been running!
Labre was inspired by the French Saint, Benedict Joseph Labre. French Franciscan tertiary Benedict Joseph Labre was a Catholic saint. Labre was from a wealthy family in the vicinity of Arras, France. To the dismay of his family, Benedict lost interest in learning and abandoned all intentions of becoming a priest. He turned to being a pilgrim, living off alms while making his way from one famous site to another. He gave his food to the underprivileged and dressed like a beggar. He became the saint of the homeless community.
