In 1954, Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis had the nation laughing, Phoenix had a population of about 270,000 and the St. Vincent de Paul Society opened its downtown dining hall and began serving lunch every day.
It has served about 20 million lunches at that site at Ninth Avenue and Madison Street but will end that run today. The dining hall will move Wednesday to the new Human Services Campus two blocks away, where it starts on its next 20 million meals.
The $24 million campus will unite five agencies that serve the homeless.
“There is some nostalgia, some sadness in our move because this old building has served us well,” St. Vincent Executive Director Steve Zabilski said Monday as he walked among about 250 homeless people dining on stew and peas and bread.
Zabilski greeted one homeless person after another and thanked volunteers for their work.
One of those eating on Monday was Burke Matts, 53, who said he has had lunch at the hall for the past six months since coming to the Valley looking for work.
“Some of us may wonder if we got a place in heaven waiting for us,” Matts said after leaving the dining room and putting his battered and dusty baseball hat back on his shaggy, gray hair. “But these folks in there who serve us people from the streets are so nice, and with smiles, they got no worries; the Lord’s waiting for them.”
Zabilski said the volunteers are what will remain the same in the new facility.
“We’ll be glad to get into our new building; it’s built to be a dining hall,” he said.
“But what won’t be different is that most of the work of serving the poor and homeless will continue to be done with faith, hope and love by volunteers, without whom we never, ever could have done this,” Zabilski added.
Those volunteers include Billye Massey, 78, who has served food at the dining hall for 14 years.
“I think it is important for all of us to return good works to the world,” Massey said.
“Many of the people who come here believe they have been forgotten. I help make our guests feel welcome and think it’s a privilege to serve them.”
Volunteers such as Bernice Szydelko, who said she is “in my 70’s,” as she handed out dinner rolls Monday through a serving window.
“Any of us could be out there on the other side of this window,” Szydelko said.
“So many people ignore poor, homeless folks; they should remember that there but for the grace of God they could be.”
There will be a brief ceremony today to note the last meal served at the old hall.
The ceremony will mark 18,993 consecutive days of serving meals at the location.
St. Vincent spokeswoman Susan de Queljoe said that, for the occasion, the dining hall will use the same menu that was served on the opening day of the dining room.
It includes beef stew, bread and fruit.
Rabbi Albert Plotkin of Temple Beth Israel and Monsignor Edward Ryle of the Phoenix Diocese are expected to make brief remarks.
Plotkin began serving Christmas dinners at the dining room in 1960 along with the Men’s Club from Temple Beth Israel.
“I’m the only rabbi in America who, on Christmas Day, serves ham and sings Christmas Carols.”
