10/25/13 In response to their mission’s call to serve, Ancilla College faculty, staff and students visited the Sojourner Truth House in Gary on Monday, October 21st volunteering their services for the day.
19 representatives of Ancilla College, including 15 students and 4 staff members worked on several separate projects. Volunteers left Ancilla’s campus around 9 a.m. and returned by 4 p.m.
“Our trip to Sojourner Truth was a great opportunity for Ancilla students to experience in a small way the plight of homeless women and children in Gary,” said Sr. Carleen Wrasman, PHJC and Coordinator of Mission Integration.
The main outside work consisted of emptying two truckloads of commodities from the Northwest Indiana Food Bank. The students working inside the building helped arrange commodities on the shelves for easy distribution on Tuesdays and Thursdays when the food pantry is open to the residents of Gary. Other students inside matched gloves and hats from a large donation; created folders for volunteers, organized a storage area, and filed papers.
Sr. Carleen Wrasman continued, “It was a special privilege for me to experience the willingness of Ancilla students to be of service to those in need. Their readiness to tackle the jobs given to us was an example of living the values of dignity and respect for all.”
Students were very receptive to the trip making such comments as: “Sojourner Truth House has a beautiful program and I am so happy and glad I was part of it and able to help,” and “I learned more about my classmates. I really want to set up collections around Ancilla for children’s clothing because that is what they need. I would appreciate another trip.”
The Sojourner Truth House is a community resource and day shelter for homeless and at-risk women and was founded in 1997 by members of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, the same religious order that founded Ancilla. It was created to help serve the needs of the underserved in the Gary area, providing food, shelter, clothing, and services to the poor and needy.
Ancilla College (www.ancilla.edu) is a Catholic, liberal arts, Associate’s Degree college in Donaldson, Indiana, sponsored by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.
