Hungry For Change? 35 Years of ODB

           

Sr. Josanna Abromaitis 1944-2005

Thirty-five years ago, Sister Josanna Abromaitis SSND swung open the doors of a little storefront soup kitchen in Baltimore and invited about 100 hungry men and women in for a hot lunch.

            Today, on the anniversary of her death, Our Daily Bread is Maryland’s largest and most famous soup kitchen, having served more than 7 million meals over almost 13,000 consecutive days.  The program, which once served lunch to the Pope, has transformed thousands of lives, including both its guests and the 10,000 volunteers that make it possible. 

            Catholic Charities of Baltimore is celebrating Our Daily Bread’s anniversary with a free poverty forum October 26 at Loyola University of Maryland from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.  “Hungry for Change: How Our Daily Bread Transforms Lives” will feature Prof. Kathryn Edin of Johns Hopkins, author of $2 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America, and Sr. Patricia Chappell, Executive Director of Pax Christi USA.

            There will also be a panel with Harold Smith, former Catholic Charities Executive Director who conceived of the program, volunteers, and former guests who have experienced ODB’s transforming impact.  Since I was lucky enough to play a role in the founding of the program, I’ll be Master of Ceremonies.

            To register for the free program, please visit cc-md.org/ODB35.