Cross Catholic Outreach feeds the hungry

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald

Ministry groups, families and individuals from St. Matthew the Apostle Church in River Ridge stood side-by-side May 27 to pack 40,000 rice and bean soup bags to feed the hungry through Cross Catholic Outreach’s “Faith in Action” initiative.


“One of the great things about the food-packing events is that we are able to engage local communities in serving the poor across the world,” said Charlie Seiter, Cross Catholic development officer and a
Loyola University New Orleans graduate. “When the volunteers pack the meals, theirs are the last hands that touch the boxes before the families receive the meals.”


Seiter saw the daylong event as a great way “to bridge the gap” between parishes or individuals who might not know how to help their brothers and sisters in need worldwide.

Prayer began the day, followed by training on how to fill Vita Food rice, beans and dehydrated vegetables into bags, seal and date them, pack them in boxes (each containing 216 meals) and finally load onto palettes for shipment to mission partners in 30 countries.
Within the first hour, 5,000 meals were packed by 50 volunteer men, women and children. Fifty more took an afternoon shift.

“Everything – from the bulk food to every material supply used at the event – we bring in,” Seiter said.

Archbishop Gregory Aymond, who joined Cross Catholic’s board of directors three years ago, witnessed St. Matthew’s effort.

“I was happy to (join the board) because of the missionary spirit of caring for and bringing God’s healing to the world,” Archbishop Aymond said, adding how generously people support Cross Catholic Outreach. “It is an opportunity for New Orleans to share our faith in action.”

As he walked around talking to participants – his first time witnessing a packing event – the archbishop thanked them for “feeding the poor. … You are feeding the poor from River Ridge to Guatemala.”

St. Matthew involvement
The nonprofit Cross Catholic was launched in 2001 by co-founders Jim Cavnar and Brian Schutt “to provide material and spiritual blessings to those in need around the world.” Headquartered in Florida, Cross Catholic representatives visit churches, including St. Matthew, to spread word about its ministries.

St. Matthew parishioners Flo Donovan and Kim Roberts co-chaired the May 27 event. Donovan and her husband Jim have been long-time Cross Catholic supporters, visiting a Box of Joy assembly event and attending a food-packing event in Mobile, Alabama. The Donovans are impressed by  the organization’s efficiency – approximately 95 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to the poor.

“I thought everyone had a great time,” Donovan said about the Mobile event. “They played music. It is well organized. When volunteers show up, everything is there. It is very simple. There are tables of 10 people, and everybody has a job. Food is packed, it gets on palettes and goes out the next day.”

She pitched the food-packing event to her pastor, Father Lee Poche, as a family event, thinking it would be “fun for our parish to come together and feed the hungry.“


“The mission is to serve the poor, and the approach is not wanting to be the ones to do all the work, but to empower the church around the world to build their communities and support them in the process,” said Father Poche.

The event went well.

“As a parish, I feel they really embraced this,” Roberts, parish coordinator, said. “I feel they are very excited about it, and we might do it again.”

First locally to pack food
Seiter, who had once discerned the priesthood, said God put Cross Catholic Outreach on his radar. He had led a mission trip and was attracted to the “service, mission and depth” of what Cross Catholic did. He’s since grown in faith with daily staff spiritual formation.
He said St. Matthew is one of 1,500 parishes nationwide to participate in Cross Catholic’s Faith in Action food packing, but might be the first in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Cross Catholic ventures
Cross Catholic also sponsors the Box of Joy, a Lenten initiative, mission trips and “A Father’s Heart” retreats for Knights of Columbus members – a Cross Catholic partner, Seiter said. Academy of Our Lady, Mount Carmel Academy, St. Mary’s Dominican, St. Christopher and St. Joan of Arc in LaPlace participate in the Box of Joy effort that sends toys packed with a rosary and Catholic storybook to 115,000 children worldwide each year.

Father Poche said watching parishioners in solidarity helping strangers warmed his heart.

“This is Pentecost weekend, and the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles who didn’t know different languages and were able to speak to people in different languages,” Father Poche said. “Through our corporal works of mercy, we’re able to speak to people of different countries through the food we send them.”

For more information about Cross Catholic, call 1 (800) 914-2420 or visit www.crosscatholic.org.

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