Maeve Murphy greets students as they arrive on the side porch of the St. Vincent DePaul Parish on a recent Monday. Using a “back door operation” approach for discretion, Murphy hands students bagged lunches,asking them how they are doing. They talk with her and thank her as they exit the building, their smiles never leaving their faces.

“Here at St. Vincent DePaul Parish, students are welcome, no matter who they are … to grab a lunch or water,” said Murphy, the outreach coordinator of DePaul’s Elizabeth Ann Seton Pantry and Soup Kitchen.

Four months ago, Murphy created a program that gives students a chance to get lunch, no questions asked. She said she hopes to offer nutritious food options to students who may be facing food insecurity, or to those who may have just forgotten to pack a lunch before leaving for class. The lunch window runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For Murphy, connecting with students and others who come for a meal is as important as providing a meal.

“It’s not just about giving somebody food so that they can eat. It’s about stopping to recognize them and have a conversation with them and treat them like a human being that matters,” Murphy said. “I try to find as much time to have compassionate conversations with people and just let them know that I’m trying to check in and see what they need.”

Robert Beatty, the director of music and community development at the parish, agreed that it is important to incorporate Vincentian values in the pantry and soup kitchen’s outreach programs like this one. One way he does this is by offering guests a place to sit while they eat.

“So, it’s really about how we set the table when we feed people,” Beatty said.

Though some initiatives at the pantry and soup kitchen are aimed solely towards DePaul students, others are also open to community members. While working in the soup kitchen, Murphy said she met a man named Angel, whom she described as an inspiration to continue her work.

“He told me that he has been sleeping on the Blue Line train overnight,” she said. Through a partnership with the Orange Tent Project in Chicago, she helped him get him a tent to sleep in. “That story makes me so happy because here’s this guy who has everything against him in life, and he’s still so happy.”

“Every time he comes into the soup kitchen, he makes it a point to ask ‘How are you doing?’”

Beatty and Murphy also work with volunteers in these DePaul programs. DePaul senior Riley Kay Bultemeier said that volunteering has allowed her to meet other people with similar interests.

“I know that the people that go to the soup kitchen to pick up food benefit from it a lot,” Bultemeier said. “They look forward to it, because not only are they getting the food that they need, but they also know the workers there and have good conversation with them.”

“As a student, seeing people that are retired and working there is a nice way to connect… and (to) see the wisdom they can give me because we share this common interest.”     

Demand at the food pantry has lessened since the Covid-19 pandemic, but they still need volunteers. Murphy says that they are always looking for people willing to lend a hand.

“I need help running this,” Murphy said. “And we always need volunteers in the soup kitchen in the mornings.”

Murphy said she feels confident that with help from the community the programs at the Seton Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen can continue to grow.

“We want to create a space for students, especially, to feel seen and valued,” Murphy said.

Correction: A previous version of this story stated that the program serves 70 students a day, this has been corrected. 

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