For more on St. Francis Table, go to www.catholicshrineatlanta.org.
It’s Saturday morning and St. Francis Table, a soup kitchen in downtown Atlanta, is buzzing. In just a few hours, hundreds of homeless men and women, and maybe some children, will come for what’s likely to be their only meal of the day. The regular kitchen crew is making soup while dozens of volunteers are setting up tables, putting together sandwiches and pouring tea. In the middle of it all is a tiny red-haired woman who loves Johnny Depp and maintains order out of what easily could develop into chaos.
Carm Cappuccilli of Acworth, a workers’ comp claims adjuster during the week, co-directs the soup kitchen in the basement of the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which started feeding the homeless on Saturdays in 1982. Cappuccilli has volunteered with St. Francis Table for 20 years, ever since moving to the area from Syracuse, New York, where incidentally, she also volunteered at a soup kitchen.
Q: What role does St. Francis Table serve in the community?
A: Everybody likes coming to St. Francis Table. The guests that we feed truly appreciate everything that everybody is doing for them. We can expect to get 70 to 80 volunteers on any given Saturday. Of course, the numbers will be a little bit higher during the holidays, which is truly a blessing. We try to accommodate the volunteers, especially the kids, by giving them all sorts of jobs to do. We try to make it a fun place.
Q: What do you tell the volunteers about interacting with the guests?
A: There are times when I tell them to look at everybody they are serving like they would look at Jesus Christ. He was the one who said to feed the hungry and give to those who need clothing. If we are doing that for people with these types of needs, then we are actually doing that for Him.
Q: What do volunteers get out of serving at St. Francis Table?
A: Whether they come down once a week, once every six months or once a year, they always appear to feel fulfilled. Human beings need to do things for other human beings. A lot of times people will say, “Thank you for allowing me to come down to the soup kitchen.” My response is, “Don’t thank me, thank yourself. You brought yourself down here.”
Q: Do you ever worry that volunteers won’t show?
A: There was a time when we had an ice storm and there were only a handful of volunteers. We asked some of our guests to come inside and help set up. They willingly did so.
Q: Is running the soup kitchen a big operation?
A: It really is. We depend on donations, both monetary and from different stores that donate day old bread and other food items. The Atlanta Community Food Bank is part of the operation. We rely on the Shrine office outreach program to get the food in on Fridays and ready for Saturday. Cornbread is one of the food items that we hope for because our guests absolutely love it.
Q: What motivates you to do this week after week?
A: Personally, I get a lot of fulfillment. I feel happy after I serve and when the volunteers all come down to serve. It’s true that not everybody is dealt the same cards that you and I are dealt. I have had people say to me, “There is a place in Heaven for you.” I appreciate them saying this to me, however, I believe that the people that we serve every Saturday are going to be the first ones to see God.
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