What is Grate Patrol?
Grate Patrol is a teen lead, hands-on service opportunity where we meet the basic needs of people experiencing homelessness on the streets of Washington, DC by providing them with food & other essentials.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
- April 15 & 16 - Supply Drive at the weekend Masses
- April 17 - Care package letter writing - 7:00-8:30pm in the Youth Room
- April 24 - Car package bag packing - 7:00-8:00pm in the Youth Room
Hands on Delivery:
Since 2018, the teens of St. Luke parish have been meeting up bright and early on Sunday mornings to drive around Washington, DC to hand deliver to-go bags of food & other necessities, blankets, and fresh cups of hot coffee to people living on the streets.
A Grate Patrol trip departs from St. Luke around 6am. We drive directly to downtown Washington, DC on a route that passes by a series of parks where large numbers of people experiencing homelessness gather. While we only drive through a small portion of the city, we will encounter anywhere between 50-100 people. Once we’ve handed out all of our bags, we head back to St. Luke in time for the 9am Mass!
When delivering the items, we get a chance to say, “hello”, “good morning”, and “what’s your name?” Unfortunately, many people experiencing homelessness feel invisible and forgotten. Our goal isn’t just to meet their basic needs, but also to show them that they are seen, heard, and loved.
Since 2018, the teens of St. Luke parish have been meeting up bright and early on Sunday mornings to drive around Washington, DC to hand deliver to-go bags of food & other necessities, blankets, and fresh cups of hot coffee to people living on the streets.
A Grate Patrol trip departs from St. Luke around 6am. We drive directly to downtown Washington, DC on a route that passes by a series of parks where large numbers of people experiencing homelessness gather. While we only drive through a small portion of the city, we will encounter anywhere between 50-100 people. Once we’ve handed out all of our bags, we head back to St. Luke in time for the 9am Mass!
When delivering the items, we get a chance to say, “hello”, “good morning”, and “what’s your name?” Unfortunately, many people experiencing homelessness feel invisible and forgotten. Our goal isn’t just to meet their basic needs, but also to show them that they are seen, heard, and loved.
Donation Drives:
Thanks to the generosity of the St. Luke community, Grate Patrol is almost entirely self-funded by the Parish. Last year (2022-23) we held 2 donation drives after the weekend Masses asking for donations of food, socks, blankets, toiletries, and gift cards. These donations were organized into the to-go bags which were given away directly to people experiencing homelessness.
To-Go Bags:
The donations that we receive are organized into to-go bags. These are simply bags filled with food, hygiene products, rain ponchos, gift cards for restaurants, encouraging letters, etc.
There are other groups throughout Washington, DC that provide food for those in need, but most of them give away prepared food such as hot breakfast, sandwiches, soup, or fresh fruit. In order to not provide the same types of items, we focus our efforts on foods that can be saved for later such as protein bars, bags of granola, crackers, fruit snacks, and/or mixed nuts.
Thanks to the generosity of the St. Luke community, Grate Patrol is almost entirely self-funded by the Parish. Last year (2022-23) we held 2 donation drives after the weekend Masses asking for donations of food, socks, blankets, toiletries, and gift cards. These donations were organized into the to-go bags which were given away directly to people experiencing homelessness.
To-Go Bags:
The donations that we receive are organized into to-go bags. These are simply bags filled with food, hygiene products, rain ponchos, gift cards for restaurants, encouraging letters, etc.
There are other groups throughout Washington, DC that provide food for those in need, but most of them give away prepared food such as hot breakfast, sandwiches, soup, or fresh fruit. In order to not provide the same types of items, we focus our efforts on foods that can be saved for later such as protein bars, bags of granola, crackers, fruit snacks, and/or mixed nuts.
click/tap here to see our 2021-22 impact
From October 2021 to April 2022, we were able to give away approximately:
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Equipping the Parish:
Another way that we reach the goals of Grate Patrol is by providing the parishioners of St. Luke with the resources and training that they need to help people experiencing homeless that they see during their daily commute. After we finish a donation drive and we organize the items into to-go bags, we use some of the bags for hands on delivery and the rest we offer to St. Luke parishioners to give away to people experiencing homelessness that they see during their daily commute. We also provide a quick trainings on the issue of homelessness in our area and some tips on what to do or say when giving away the bags.
Unfortunately, almost anywhere you go you can encounter people experiencing homelessness. By providing St. Luke parishioners with to-go bags and some tips on what to say, we are able to make a difference not only in Washington, DC, but all throughout Northern Virginia.
Another way that we reach the goals of Grate Patrol is by providing the parishioners of St. Luke with the resources and training that they need to help people experiencing homeless that they see during their daily commute. After we finish a donation drive and we organize the items into to-go bags, we use some of the bags for hands on delivery and the rest we offer to St. Luke parishioners to give away to people experiencing homelessness that they see during their daily commute. We also provide a quick trainings on the issue of homelessness in our area and some tips on what to do or say when giving away the bags.
Unfortunately, almost anywhere you go you can encounter people experiencing homelessness. By providing St. Luke parishioners with to-go bags and some tips on what to say, we are able to make a difference not only in Washington, DC, but all throughout Northern Virginia.
Reach out to Benj Emrich at bemrich@saintlukemclean.org for more info & how to get involved!