The Sunday Friendship Breakfast,

A free picture book about homelessness in Providence, RI.

Presented in PDF (Portable Document File) format. Please share it.

Click here or on any of the photos to download.

This is the Sunday Friendship Breakfast

The photographs and text in this book capture both the spirit, beauty, and strength of the homeless community and the magnitude of the challenges faced by its members. These difficulties can seem so intractable that the only thing we know how to do is look away, or to donate time or money once and consider our moral duty dispensed with.  

Megan Smith, MSW, Outreach Program Manager, The House of Hope CDC

The Breakfast, as this is known, can be many things to many people. For those simply desiring a warm meal, they are served that and more, with appetizers, oatmeal, pastry, fresh fruit, coffee, tea, and juice, followed by the main meal consisting of a heaping plate with eggs, sausage or ham, home fries, pancakes and French toast. The meal is homemade, fresh and nutritious, is served on non-disposable dish ware, and is almost always accompanied by live music. This is the Mathewson Street Sunday Friendship Breakfast.

Comments

Thank you Jan. Your work is so important to helping people "see" and "understand" the humanity in the people who find themselves homeless, and breaking the stereotypes and automatic judgments that are so pervasive.  It so beautifully lifts up the ministry at Mathewson, which continues to inspire me as a person of faith.                    

                                  ~ Pastor Mary Hanson-Joyce

 
 

Dear Jan, That is the most thorough explanation of homelessness I've ever read. Soulful pictures. A deep journey. Really moving. While I was reading through it I kept thinking you should be interviewed on NPR for this work...and NPR should offer a copy of the book or perhaps a print of some of the pictures for a fundraiser. I am inspired to help in some way.

                                                                                             ~ Barbara Crane

 

Good Day Jan! I just wanted to let you know that this was such a beautiful project and am commending you for your talent for bringing out the subject of homelessness in such a way that can be shared and hopefully change those more fortunate to lend a hand, or even recognize that homelessness can happen to anyone, and hopefully they will step up in their own communities to assist with this ongoing problem with our society. Praying that someday we win the war on homelessness and thank you for your thoughtful contribution to this cause!

Peace, Ann Senerchia,Council Member,Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd

THANK YOU, Jack, for sharing the Mathewson Street Methodist ebook, with all the photos and narratives describing your fantastic ministry to the homeless..I was deeply moved by all the pictures, and the narratives accompanying them... Your own statement is particularly perceptive....I remember our faltering attempts to respond to homelessness at Beneficent.  But they never reached the scale nor the scope of your outreach  at Mathewson Street...I thought the quotes from Mother Teresa really strengthened your whole presentation....
Shalom!    Ralph