Are you wondering what people are talking about when you hear them mention Café Manna? If you are a newer member of this faith community you may not know that Café Manna is a soup kitchen here at St. Teresa’s that began back in December of 2001. This is an outreach ministry here at St. T’s that has become a very important part of who we are as community and our hope is that everyone here will be a part of this ministry in some way. 
The soup kitchen was the vision of one of our community members who felt called by God to do something here in Northwest Indiana back when the steel mills began laying off workers and the outlook for this area looked rather bleak. She saw that there could be a need so she formulated a plan, presented it to Fr. Kevin, overcame all the obstacles he placed in her path, garnered the support of the St. T and surrounding community, and thus, Café Manna was born. With the help of some very dedicated individuals who share the same passion for serving the Lord, Café Manna has become a very valuable outreach ministry here in this community.
Every Thursday evening with the help of many volunteers, a hot nourishing meal is served to as many as 250-275 guests. We provide an environment to eat at Café Manna as well as delivery for those who do not have transportation available. They come to us because they are physically hungry, in need of companionship or trying to stretch their food budget. It doesn’t really matter because we are here to touch lives and have our lives touched. We welcome all to join us.
Café Manna has been fortunate to be financially self-sufficient since its inception. God has blest us with the generosity and support of this faith community, surrounding churches both Catholic and non-Catholic, and the greater Valparaiso community. We are always most grateful to those who wish to make monetary contributions or donations of food to make sure that this outreach ministry continues to succeed.
Now you are probably asking yourself so what do they want from me. First and foremost we want your prayers and support for the good that this ministry accomplishes. Café Manna is an invaluable ministry for our college students. On any given Thursday during the school year you might find 10-20 students doing ministry at Café Manna. We also have 2 students who co-ordinate all the volunteers and assign tasks to them. Just ask one of the college students who spends a couple of hours here on Thursday afternoons and see what they have to tell you. Believe me, the rewards that volunteers receive may not be tangible but they sure do warm your heart. Many people start out coming because they just want to see what it is like or they have service hours required for a class and before you know it they are hooked. Of course we don’t have the space for everyone to come and volunteer every week but there are other opportunities to get involved. Each week of the month we have teams of volunteers who bake a dessert or make a salad and bring it in to serve our guests. Remember we are serving 250 guests most weeks and that takes a lot of salads and desserts to make sure there is enough to go around. Ideally each dessert should feed 15 people and each salad should serve 15-20 people, so if you do the math that takes quite a few people willing to share their gifts and talents each week. We would also be thrilled to have people willing to come in later in the evening for about an hour for clean-up, say around 6:15 pm or so. In the summer when the students are not here we are always in need of people to come in and serve and visit with guests, as well as the usual clean-up tasks. So please know that whatever your gifts of time and talent may be they can always be put to good use at Café Manna.
Please call the office at 464-4042 if you have any questions about Café Manna or what its needs might be.