“One of the most popular images lately is that of a New York police officer giving new boots to a homeless man”. Amanda Kerns continues her reflection “It reminded me that I had never written in this blog about a wonderful event that happened a few weeks ago in Macon, Georgia.When I was in Macon as a prepostulant and postulant, one of the wonderful Sisters I lived with, Sr Elizabeth Greim, was in the process of opening a day shelter for the homeless, named Daybreak, as part of the organization DePaul USA, which helps homeless all over the country. While there is no lack of meals/soup kitchens for the homeless in Macon, Daybreak is to serve as a place where they could go during the day. There were to be washing machines, offices for case workers, showers, classrooms, computer rooms, and simply “a place to hang out” with books, magazines, and games.
I watched as Sr Elizabeth worked so hard to convert the old warehouse they bought into a workable shelter, as she raised funds, and as she got to know the homeless through an already-existing program called Come to the Fountain. Here is a video from their capital campaign, actually created by local high school students.
In less than a year, Daybreak not only exceeded their capital campaign goal, they actually doubled it.
I miss Macon a lot but one of the things I miss the most is when Daybreak officially opened on November 15th (that wonderful event I mentioned in the beginning of the blog). The Macon Telegraph, the local newspaper, did a wonderful video on the opening – it’s worth checking out here. Sr Elizabeth, as well as the rest of the Macon community (especially local churches of all different denominations), has done and continues to do an amazing job in their dedication to the homeless in Macon. When Saint Vincent de Paul founded the Daughters of Charity in the 1600s, he told them that one of the most important ministries was simply being with the poor. Daybreak is doing that same thing over 300 years later, following the Vincentian charism in seeing Christ in the poor.
If you’re interested in donating to Daybreak, you can either donate directly to Daybreak and mail your contribution to P.O. Box 204, Macon, GA 31202 or donate to DePaul USA through their website (or call them directly at 215 438 1955 to see what other donation options are available).
Thank you to Sr Elizabeth, the Daybreak staff and volunteers and all who help Daybreak keep going with their contributions! Many blessings!
Click the graphic to see other posts about Amanda Kerns’ journey through postulancy.
Tags: Amanda, Daughters of Charity, Homelessness, Macon
Thank you for your piece, Amanda. The opening of Daybreak was a wonderful event and we missed you there! It has been wonderful to see the Vincentian Family lead an interfaith coalition of 11 faith communities representing 8 faith traditions in creating Daybreak. Please come back and visit when you can. We’d love for you to tell the stories of the people who are being touched by the hygiene, health, job training and placement, and education and recreation services on offer.
Best wishes,
Chuck Levesque
Executive Director
Depaul USA