The Right Place For: Service to the Local Community
12/15/2021
This story originally appeared in the 2021 Annual Report.
At the conclusion of Reunion and Homecoming Weekend—on October 17, 2021—the College officially installed Susan R. Burns, Ph.D. as the sixth president of Mount Saint Vincent. The celebration, which included a Mass offered by Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, President of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, was a way for the entire Mount community to reaffirm our mission, review our history, and reignite our values.
As part of that renewal, the College has partnered with our foundresses, the Sisters of Charity of New York, to establish a new outreach program to the local community. Recognizing that people living in the area around the Mount’s campus need help, leadership from both the College and the Congregation have joined together to address food insecurity for individuals and families in the northwest Bronx and southern Yonkers through a new program—Vincent’s Table.
Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, calls the faithful to express a shared responsibility to care for the earth—our common home. The Sisters of Charity have adopted the period between September 2021 and August 2022 as a year to alleviate the cries of the earth Pope Francis outlines in Laudato Si’—and specifically to continue to serve the poor. The Congregation and College have a long-standing obligation to helping our brothers and sisters in need through a commitment to Vincentian/Setonian values.
“The work we’re doing at Vincent’s Table aligns profoundly with both the missions of the College and the Congregation led by the works of Saint Vincent de Paul, aiming to restore dignity to all individuals and serve the people who need it most.”
— Sr. Maggie Kelly, S.C.
Staffed by Srs. Maggie Kelly and Mary Lou McGrath, and lead by Mount alum and Coordinator Jordan Douglas ’21, the program has a simple mission: Vincent’s Table responds to the needs of those who face food insecurity and homelessness in the northwest Bronx and Yonkers by providing them with nourishing food and other assistance when possible, while recognizing the dignity and value of each individual.
“I recently graduated from the College,” noted Jordan. “And I was looking for a way to not only continue my relationship with both the Mount and the Sisters, but to serve the community that had given me so much over the last four years. Working as the Coordinator of Vincent’s Table is a humbling experience for me, and it’s an honor to follow in the footsteps of Saint Vincent de Paul.”
With that, the Vincent’s Table team hit the ground running and has been hard at work seeking out vendors and establishing partnerships in the Riverdale and Yonkers communities. Jordan’s diligently organizing distribution lines, working to secure grants, and developing communication plans to let those in the local community know that Vincent’s Table is here to help.
The first floor of Rosary Hall, across from the Convent and adjacent to the Great Lawn on the Mount’s campus, used to serve as a residence for Sisters. With plenty of empty storage space, a kitchen, a living room to meet (and permission from Sr. Donna Dodge, President of the Sisters of Charity), the group transformed part of Rosary Hall into their home base. The space now houses a food pantry, clothing closet, and offices for staff and volunteers.
But Vincent’s Table is committed to more than just addressing the needs of those in the local Bronx and Yonkers areas; it also offers a way for members of the Mount community to live out the College’s mission and get involved with hunger and homelessness advocacy.
“We already had over 100 students who participated in summer programs through HEOP, MAP, and TRiO help organize the space in Rosary Hall and sort through clothing and supply donations,” said Matthew Shields, Director for Mission and Ministry. “The College’s annual Month of Service, held over the months of September and October, brought in countless other student volunteers from the Mount—making sandwiches, sorting donations, and getting ready to help with distributions.”
Sisters of the Charity living at Mount Saint Vincent Convent also have opportunities to volunteer with Vincent’s Table. Just a short walk across the street, Sisters have been eager to get involved and help further the Congregation’s centuries-long commitment to the ministry of hospitality.
Vincent’s Table has only just begun to make a small impact in addressing the needs of the local community around the Mount Saint Vincent campus. And after much planning, the first distribution event took place during the first week of November—enabling over 200 individuals and families to have the food and supplies they need to gather and celebrate the holidays. Weekly distributions will continue to take place in local church and organization parking lots, allowing the program to reach the hands—and stomachs—of those who need their help.
“There’s a quote from Elizabeth Ann Seton, something along the lines of: ‘The front door, the back door, the side door that leads to the chapel…all the windows, upstairs and downstairs, open at your coming. We might not be gathering in a chapel, but we’re gathering in the street— just like Saint Vincent de Paul did. Though Vincent’s Table, we’re opening all the doors to get food and supplies to those who need it in the local area around the Mount’s campus. And we won’t stop until everyone’s been fed.”
— Sr. Mary Lou McGrath, S.C.
About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational, and career opportunities of New York City, the College equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for lives of professional accomplishment, service, and leadership in the 21st century.