Trip to Kansas City - Day Seven

Sarah and Meg

The morning after the big picnic was a time to say good by to Brendan and Eileen, Sean and Julie, Galen, and Liam and the kids who came with them.  Meg wasn't leaving till late in the afternoon and she joined Tom, Sarah, Marilyn and me for lunch at Brio on the Plaza.  It was hot but breezy and we found a side balcony that was in the shade even without the awnings.

It turned out to be a late lunch and we had to hustle back to Grand Court to pick up Mom and get her back down to St. James for the service project.  St. James Place began life as the St. James Recreation Center, a multi-use recreational facility for the parish.  We all grew up playing basketball there, attending Scout meetings, watching golden Glove bouts, and enjoying numerous and varied breakfasts:  First Friday, Holy Name Society, Altar and Rosary Society, you name it.  As the parish changed, so did the need for such a facility.  It's goal of cohesion within a Catholic community--perhaps even a bit of a ghetto--became significantly less important as the social and economic needs of the neighborhood increased.  The Center was built in the early forties and served the parish and the larger community as a recreation center.  The parish opened a food cupboard in the Center in 1970 to respond to the needs of the community.  In 2002, the parish turned to the Bishop Sullivan Center to operate St. James Place in the center.  This includes a food pantry, vocational assistance and a supper program.  You can read more about the Center by clicking here.

Those family members still in town along with Mom went to St. James Place to serve dinner and clean up.  We worked continuously from 5 till 6 and even after a bit.  This is a daily program at St. James Place and there was a full gambit of people going through the line:  young, old; down and out, disturbed, happy, joyful, and all seemed thankful to God and to us for serving them.  The outside temperature reached 106 that day but fortunately the Center had been air conditioned by a generous donor.

View the photo album of St. James Place dinner.

After dinner at St. James Place, we all went to Sweet Tomatoes for a great family dinner.