The fruit of generosity

On a brisk December morning, the Simon family had the cafeteria of St. Frances Cabrini Academy in St. Louis positively brimming with Christmas cheer.

Some 50 members of the extended family and several friends were on hand to make holiday magic happen, welcoming school families in with a warm “Merry Christmas!” and a smile. They crafted ornaments with the children, painted swirling snowflake designs on faces and offered up tree-shaped sugar cookies, bright green icing and sprinkles for tasty decorating. Several tables were spread with small gifts for families to “shop” for each other, and Santa and Mrs. Claus were on hand for photos. At lunchtime, volunteers served up roast beef, two kinds of pasta, salad, green beans and rolls.

“This is my favorite day of the year,” Loretta Simon said, carefully lining up treat bags and stuffed animals on the table in front of her. Each family also received a bag of presents with a gift for each child — Annie Andrews, another family member, had started shopping in September.

But perhaps the most important part of the day, the family will tell you, was the hallway of tables laden with fresh produce: bright yellow and red apples, sweet pears, bunches of bananas, piles of oranges, stacks of russet and sweet potatoes and onions. Before leaving, families filled a bag with whatever they wanted.

It’s one of the ways the Simons carry on the legacy of their beloved “Giddo,” George Simon Sr., who ran Simon’s Produce at Soulard Market for decades after immigrating to St. Louis from Lebanon in 1947. George was part of the first Cabrini Christmas party in 2015 before he died in 2016.

“He loved seeing (the school families), and the bags of produce were everything for him. He loved seeing that they’re all going home with a big bag of produce for their family, especially this time of year,” Annie, one of George’s granddaughters, said. “He was just all about giving to people in need and serving people.”

Giddo Simon Ministries

Generosity of fruits, vegetables and spirit.

That’s the lesson George’s 10 children carry on through Giddo Simon Ministries, a nonprofit they established in 2017. The ministry supplies fresh produce to three food pantries — St. Anthony of Padua in Dutchtown, St. Stephen/St. Trinity/Carondelet Community Betterment Federation in Carondelet and Holy Name of Jesus in Bissell Hills — and the St. Frances Cabrini Academy cafeteria.

The Simon children grew up in a modest house a block from St. Wenceslaus Parish (now the home of St. Frances Cabrini Academy). George worked three jobs: at the Union Pacific Railroad, delivering flowers and selling fruits and vegetables at Simon’s Produce.

Patti Carnie, the oldest child and CEO of Giddo Simon Ministries, said his children and later, grandchildren, helped him in the market on weekends. Whenever someone who was homeless or without money approached George’s stand, he told them to take whatever they needed.

“Anybody that couldn’t pay him, he’d give it away,” she said. “My dad gave to the poor. That was his life.”

“He would say, ‘don’t worry about it.’ He didn’t say ‘pay me back next week,’ because he said, ‘I want them to come back. If people are hungry, I want them to feel free to come back,’” added Theresa Brotherton, Patti’s sister.

While many produce vendors and grocery stores give their leftovers to food banks or shelters at the end of the day, George offered them his “first fruits,” so to speak. A volunteer from the St. Stephen food pantry would stop by in the morning, and George would load up his van, Theresa recalled.

David Carnie, one of George’s grandchildren, spent many Saturday mornings working with Giddo — Arabic for “grandfather” — at Simon’s Produce. The way he treated others left a lasting impression, David said.

“He would not only give food to people, he would employ people who had no other means of employment,” he said. “One time I got (to the produce stand) early in the morning, and someone was just sleeping there outside of the cooler, absolutely drunk. And instead of telling him, you know, you should get out of here, you’re drunk, (George) gave him some food, he sobered him up, and he started working later that day.”

At George’s funeral, person after person came to tell his family how George was generous to them in times of need. And in talking with food pantry volunteers, the siblings realized: George’s absence would leave a big hole not just in their family but to a much wider community.

Within a year, Giddo Simon Ministries was born.

Each week, Patti talks to the food pantry coordinators and puts in produce orders for them. The other nine Simon children take up roles in the fundraising, grant writing, event planning and other work needed to sustain the ministry.

“We were always a big Catholic family, and we have lawyers, we have finance people, we have computer people, we have creative people,” Theresa said. “And it’s just wonderful in doing all of these things that everybody just kind of falls into their roles.”

A growing need

Three times a week, St. Anthony of Padua food pantry opens its doors to give boxes of food and other assistance to families and individuals in need.

The number of families they serve continues to increase, said food pantry director Rob Telthorst. By the end of 2024, the pantry was serving more than 1,000 families every month.

He could hardly believe it when Patti approached him to ask if Giddo Simon Ministries could help supply fruits and vegetables. Now, every week, volunteers pick up $2,000 of produce, fresh from suppliers on Produce Row, and bring it back to the pantry to be distributed.

“Our mission is to serve with dignity, compassion and respect, and how fabulous is it to be able to offer fresh produce?” Rob said. “It was a game-changer.”

“Produce is expensive. It costs a lot of money to eat healthy and go to the grocery store to buy apples and oranges for your kids. It’s just crazy — people are getting priced out of healthy food,” he continued. “And (Patti) is so good about buying things that are fresh seasonally. When corn was coming in right here in Missouri, we had fresh Missouri corn; when apples came in, we had Missouri apples and green beans. It makes a difference because of the healthy food, and I just can’t stress enough the matter of dignity.”

All together, Giddo Simon Ministries provides about $14,000 of produce each month among the food pantries and school, Patti said. In January, they planned to start serving a fourth pantry, St. Augustine Wellston Center.

Sometimes, they receive messages from families passed on by the food pantries. A recent one from a parent said they had just eaten for the first time in a few days because they’d been giving the little food they had to their children, Patti said.

“It just stops you in your tracks, during the day, and you’re like, ‘Oh wow, we’re really blessed,’” she said. “My dad always told us that we’re so blessed. So blessed. So blessed.”

The most important thing

There was never any question about why George was so generous.

Or, on the rare occasion someone asked, the answer was simple.

“He’d say, ‘That’s what God told me to do, and that’s what God wants all of us to do,’” Theresa said. “My dad really saw Christ in others, like 100%. He was doing the corporal works of mercy.”

George and his wife, Marilue, instilled the Catholic faith in their family at home and as active members of St. Raymond Maronite Cathedral. (The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Church, in full communion with Rome, with roots in Lebanon.)

George was ordained a subdeacon, an order of ministry with some liturgical functions, and he devoted many hours to bringing the Eucharist to the sick and homebound. He also was a regular cashier at St. Raymond’s Wednesday Lebanese lunches. In 2012, he was knighted by Pope Benedict XVI to the Papal Order of St. Gregory the Great, and he was a member of the Order of St. Sharbel.

He was a daily Massgoer who carved out intentional time in his busy schedule for daily prayer, Theresa said. Toward the end of his life, one of his children would often come pick him up to take him to daily Mass, even when it involved hauling an oxygen tank along.

“He was adamant that he had to receive the Eucharist. That was the most important thing in his whole life,” she said.

Many Simon family members still attend St. Raymond Maronite Cathedral, while others are spread throughout other St. Louis parishes. In December 2023, Father Tony Simon was ordained a priest in the Maronite Church; he had followed in George’s footsteps as a subdeacon first.

George gave his family a powerful example of how faith and works go hand-in-hand, Theresa said. Through Giddo Simon Ministries, the next generations are just doing their part to continue spreading God’s love.

“He did everything in hard work and faith that God was going to lead us where we need to go and what we need to do,” Theresa said. “And I feel like that is exactly what’s happening.”

Giddo Simon Ministries

Giddo Simon Ministries is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that provides fresh produce to area food pantries and St. Frances Cabrini Academy. It was founded in memory of George “Giddo” Simon Sr. and is operated by his 10 children.

The nonprofit hosts fundraisers throughout the year to boost its produce budget. The annual spring trivia night will be held on Saturday, Feb. 22, at The Cedars in St. Louis.

To learn more about Giddo Simon Ministries, register for the trivia night or donate, visit giddosimon.org.