Bishop Buddy Scrapbook 1936-37 (1)

BISHOP-ELECT ESJABtlSHED AFETERIA AND MEN'S SHELTER ' FOR· NEEDY FST. lOSEPiU\

Set High Standard Although starting humbly , St. Vincent's gra

Karr, Joseph Corby Mose Apple, Sam Alberts, H. J. Nestlebush, J. J. Tootle, W. R. Seaman and John. D. McNeely, Its History Unique The distressing c o n di t i o n s among the poor during the fall and winter of 1931 led to the op- Charles Semrad, Michael Lawlor, W. X. Donovan, John McGee, ening of St. Vincent's. Men, wo- men and children were begging on the streets in private homes. Every morning processions of the poor would wend their way to St. Josephs' Hospital, the Sacred Heart Convent, the Cathedral Rectory and other rectories and institutions in the city. A move- ment was begun Jan. 1, 1932, to co-ordinate and unify the relief work among the transient and the homeless-a central station where the "down and outers" could se- cude a metal, get a bath and a night's lodging. St. Vincent's pro- vided these necessities. Few movements in St. Joseph have met with such hearty ap- proval of all citizens. Though the auspices were Catholics, Jews and Protestants joined in their gener- ous gifts and Jan. 12, 1932, the first meal was served at the insti- tution. On that occasion 856 were fed. The activities of the agency in- creased as the months progressed and at the peak of the depression, before government aid was as manifest as it is today, there were two branch cafeterias and two food stations in operation. The peak month was April, 1933, when The project was maintained at first by contributions from citi- zens. Lat~r RFC funds augment- ed local money. Then the Tran- sient Bureau was established in St. Joseph, and December of last years the bureau began the plan of paying 50 cents per day ~r man for the cafeteria and donm- tory privileges. During all of the time w. x. Donovan served the cafeteria as its executive banager for $1 a year. Too much praise cannot be giv- en the executive manager. who worked indefatigably. often ap- plying his own private funds for improvements and new eqmpment at st. Vincent's. Mr. Donov~n, long experienced in executive management, established work- ing system in the cafeteria that proved most efficient. He won chairman; 97,000 meals were served. Executive Manager At SI Per Year

Annual Report

Bishop-elect Charles Franc i s 13uddy, who will be consecrated the first bishop of the Diocese of San Diego on Monday. gained na- tional reputation for his aid to tne needy championing of the un- fortunate in St. Joseph, Missouri. Bishop-elect 'Buddy establish- ed on January 1, 1930. St. Vin- ce1it's Cafeteria. a.nd l\fen's Shelter for the destitute of St. Joseph and for transients. This a~ency provided an average of 3,000 meals a day to the tteedy and gave lodgings to some 700 mell. The building in which the cafeteria was housed was provided free of rental by the mother of San Diego's new · bishop, who died last March, . but a few months before her son was named a prelate. In 1934, st: Vincent's Cafeteria · was - taken over by the Federal Govemrnent as a transient sh-el- . ter, An interesting account of the transfer of St. Vincent's to the government was given in the St. I Jo eph Catholic Tribune issue of August 11, 1934, along with the an- a1111ual report for the project dur- ing 1933, which we reprint, be- cause of its interest to San Di- egans. "On last Monday morning St Vincent's Cafeteria and lodging quarters passed to the control of the United States Transient Bu- reau. Arrangements wei-e com- pleted by the government authori- ties and, the board of directors of st. Vincent's presided over by the Very Rev. Charles F. Buddy, pas- tor of St. Joseph's Cathedral. Five parcels of property. 108-110-111- 113-115 North Second street. were, leased to the government -authori- ties and in these buildings the, philanthropic work of feeding the 1 hungry and sheltering the desti- 1 tute will be contin11ed by the fed- eral government. The accommo- 1 dations include a large dining room at 113-115 North Second, al clubr.oom at 111 North Second, of- fices, gymnasium and reading rooms at 108 North Second. and the chapel at 110 North Second.. On the second and third floors of all these five buildings are sleep- ing quarters, with ceiling fans and sanitary vents in the windows.

I The following report for the I year 1933 shows the extent of the j work done by St. Vincent's: Receipts Balance on hand Jan. 1, 1933 ........... , -$ 15.47 Pledges (private funds) 10,363.54 RFC government subsidy 27,596.79 Other donations .... • , . 14,308.55 'Total Expenditures .. $52,284.00 Expenditures Operating expenses---- Meat and eggs ....... ,$ Groceries , • • • • • •• • • · • • Milk and butter .. . • • • • • Fruits and vegetables • • • Miscellaneous ... , • , •• • Salaries ... • • .. •,. • • • , • Clothing and shoes • • • • Laundry and supplies • • Medicine and care of sick: Fuel, 'light, heat , .. , . . . Sanitation and supplies Shoe repairing and bar- I ber supplies . . . . . . . . . Administrative Expenses- Telephones . . . . . . . . . . . Postage, printing, office suPplies and salary of of bookkeeper . . . . . . . Capital Expenses- New equipment and re- placements for kitchen 1,670.90 New equipment and re- 287.51 41.3(J ----- Total . , . . . . . . . . . . . . $52.284.35 I Genera.I lnformatlon Number of meals served .. 707,640 Number of lodgings ..... 147,852 Number of baths ........ 41,924 .Number of pairs of shoes repaired •.. , , ... , . . . . . 3,857 7,556.8~ 9,433.90 8,366.85 5,547.25 690.13 5,123.25 2,151.29 1,166.35 954.00 4,496.75 1,323.8.6 1,633.25 120.14 1,125.30 placements for dining· rooms • •• • •• • • • · · · · · New equiprn_ent and re- placements for lodging ing quarters . • • • • • • • • Bal. on hd. Jan. 1, 1934 • 595.41

Number of haircuts ••.. • 5.48L Number of shaves , .... , • • 21.974' Number of books and mag- azines distrilmted .. • . , 8.435 Number of visits made by members to sick and destitute ....... , , , . •,. • 22.492

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the love and esteem not only ~f the large staff working under his I direction, but of the thousands of destitute who felt the kindly spir- it of st. Vincent impersonated by I him.