Volunteers from several parishes serve the needy in Jefferson County through ecumenical James II Project
Not even a fire could keep the volunteers of the James II Project from feeding the hungry.
After the Salvation Army of Jefferson County — their usual venue to serve a hot lunch — suffered fire and smoke damage on Nov. 20, the volunteers simply moved the operation across the street to the Rock Community Fire Protection District headquarters building.
“We’re improvising,” said Sandy Kraus, a parishioner at Our Lady in Festus, with a grin as she and several other volunteers prepared large pans of donated pulled pork, potato salad, chips and fresh veggies and dip. The original menu of hamburgers and baked macaroni and cheese wasn’t quite feasible in the smaller kitchen space.
The James II Project is an ecumenical initiative in Jefferson County that offers food, showers, laundry, resource connections and encouragement to people who are unhoused or otherwise in need. Karin Kostich founded the project in 2023 and partnered with the Salvation Army of Jefferson County to serve a weekly Tuesday lunch from the agency’s kitchen, which had been unused for more than three years.
The group draws its name and inspiration from James 2:15-17: “If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
After learning about the group’s mission, Father Michael Lydon, episcopal vicar for the Southern Vicariate, rallied parishioners from area parishes to join in service. In September, the James II Project added lunch service on Thursdays, staffed by rotating groups of volunteers from Our Lady in Festus, Sacred Heart in Crystal City, Mary Mother of the Church and Assumption in Mattese, Queen of All Saints in Oakville, St. Joseph in Imperial and Holy Family in Arnold.
As lunch got underway on Nov. 21, Our Lady parishioner Pat Ferguson sat down next to Karl Schaub, a new face at the Thursday lunch. As they ate together, they talked about family and faith. Schaub, a lifelong Catholic, had fallen on hard times after the death of his wife and son but had recently found comfort in a GriefShare group at Seven Holy Founders Parish in Affton, he said.
At the next table over, Justin Cox dug into his sandwich. He’s been coming to the Salvation Army for about a year; in a recent week, he had a long conversation with Father Lydon over lunch.
That was the first time he had a real conversation with a priest, he said. “I don’t get that kind of kindness all the time, so that was a nice surprise,” he said.
The James II Project serves an average of 50-60 people at each lunch, Kostich said. The group also partners with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to connect guests with assistance, Saint Martha’s for support in domestic violence situations and St. Francis Xavier (College) Church’s ID and birth certificate program, among others.
“So just the ripple effect from serving a meal — basically, one meal can change a life. It seems like something that isn’t that big of a deal…but I want them to be heard. I want their stories to be known,” Kostich said.
Fran Nicholson, a parishioner at Sacred Heart in Crystal City, volunteers with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and was glad to find another way to reach out to those in need. As she helped with the meal, her husband, Dan, took the coldest job across the street directing traffic over to the fire house.
“I feel like this is what God is calling me to, to have a heart for the poor — and not just have a heart, but to do, for the homeless especially,” she said.
Salvation Army recovery
On the morning of Nov. 20, a refrigerator on the lower level of the Salvation Army of Jefferson County, located at 3740 Telegraph Road in Arnold, caught fire. No one was in the building, but it caused smoke damage throughout the building, including ruining food pantry items and some of the toys that had been collected for the agency’s Christmas distribution.
Just before the lunch service began the next day, Jefferson County Salvation Army director Larry Hostetler popped in to share the news that the insurance company gave them the go-ahead to start cleanup inside the building. He was optimistic that the space would be ready to host Thanksgiving lunch the following week.
In the meantime, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis helped arranged for a large trailer to come to the Salvation Army parking lot to store donations. Despite requesting just monetary donations while the building was being cleaned out, generous supporters had already started dropping off nonperishable food and other items, Hostetler said.
Holy Family Parish also offered classroom space to store extra donations if needed, and the local Knights of Columbus volunteered their hall as well, he said.
“We’ve had tremendous support from the Catholic community,” Hostetler said.
