Story by Beth Donze of the Clarion Herald
Photos courtesy of Christopher Homes

In “normal times,” procuring food and other daily necessities is not difficult for the 303 residents at Rouquette Lodge in Mandeville and the 75 who live at St. Teresa Villa in Slidell, two independent-living complexes operated by Christopher Homes, the archdiocesan agency that manages affordable housing for seniors and those with physical disabilities. 

However, with residents encouraged to stay inside their homes as much as possible since the outbreak of COVID-19 – especially those who have vulnerable health conditions – getting the basics has become exponentially harder.

Only essential visitors such as home health and other medical personnel are permitted inside.

Realizing that her residents mostly would be staying put on complex grounds in the coming weeks, Babette Charbonnet, service coordinator at the two sites, appealed to faith communities, non-profits and restaurants across the northshore to help her fill newly established emergency pantries at Rouquette Lodge and St. Teresa’s Villa.

So far, more than 40 entities, individuals and churches have answered the call, enabling residents to replenish their kitchens.

“It’s been phenomenal. The response was beyond my imagination. They’re not only donating food, they’re donating time to go shop for strangers,” Charbonnet said. “You really see God’s hand in this, and at a time that could be so dark. As Catholics, we are given the light. Instead of being enveloped in the darkness and the fear, we were given hope.”

To store the donations of perishable and non-perishable food, which includes pre-cooked meals, the Rouquette staff commandeered a small dining room and brought in refrigerators and freezers. Water and toiletries are being stored in the arts and crafts room. At St. Teresa’s Villa, the community room now serves as the emergency food pantry.

Charbonnet and her fellow staffers assemble and deliver a daily bag of goods to each resident. “Also, we also take a list. If a resident has additional needs, we’ll go to the food and supply pantries and put everything together and deliver it to them.

 “They are so grateful. Some of them, when they see all these donations, their eyes get big and wide,” she said.
 
St. Benedict Church deploys assistance

One of the first to respond to Charbonnet’s call for help was St. Benedict Church in Covington. Last week, Benedictine Father Charles Benoit and his parishioners emptied their entire pantry and two freezers conraining food for the parish’s weekly “Meals on Wheels” style ministry of taking cooked food to the homes of the elderly and infirmed.

St. Benedict parishioners have been cooking and delivering meals for 30 years, partnering with other area churches to get meals out to the needy four days a week.

In addition to St. Benedict, other northshore churches that had responded to Charbonnet’s appeal (at press time) were Mary Queen of Peace, Our Lady of the Lake, St. Anselm and Most Holy Trinity.

The monks of St. Joseph Abbey baked bread for the Rouquette and St. Teresa residents, and another group donated 75 large pepperoni pizzas from Little Caesar’s.
 
Face of Christ seen in outpouring

“My heart just got so full,” said Charbonnet, recalling how an anonymous man pulled up to Roquette’s entrance “in a big ol’ red truck” filled to maximum capacity. The man told Charbonnet he was delivering food on behalf of a man who had brought him back to Christ. When Charbonnet asked who the donor was so she could thank him, the truck driver told her, “He would rather be left anonymous. He just wants you to know that this donation is from Jesus.”

“You are literally seeing God’s hand in this – you can see Christ in the faces of the people who come by,” Charbonnet said, noting that she receives at least 100 calls a day from groups wanting to help not only with food, but with running errands for the seniors.

“This is a miracle to me. People are coming to us from everywhere. Our request for help went viral!” she said.

Although they are free to leave the premises, residents throughout Christopher Homes’ 21 apartment complexes are being encouraged to stay in place – unless an essential appointment takes them off campus – and to go outside each day for fresh air and exercise while being mindful of social distancing.
 
Staff rises to occasion

Charbonnet said she has also been overwhelmed by the generosity of staff, who have gone “beyond their call of duty” at both sites. For instance, the kitchen staff at Rouquette recently made big batches of chicken soup and spaghetti and meatballs that they divided and put into lidded cartons for each resident.

“Our staff is working tirelessly,” Charbonnet said. “They have been absolutely incredible – smiles, good humor, just really putting residents first and making sure of their safety and well-being.”

Christopher Homes, which manages 21 apartment complexes totaling nearly 2,500 apartment units across the Archdiocese of New Orleans, gratefully welcomes donations in the following categories. (If you can donate, please email L  wilken@chi-ano.org  so that Christopher Homes can coordinate drop-off to sites based on the level of need at each.)

• Paper products (paper towels, toilet paper and sanitizing wipes; large and small size Ziploc bags and plastic or paper cartons with lids are also needed to facilitate the division of meals)

• Personal hygiene items (toiletries, adult pull-ups, feminine pads)

• Basic food items (bread, eggs, rice, canned fruits and vegetables, Ensure, etc.)

• Cleaning and disinfecting supplies (Lysol spray, sanitizing wipes).

Christopher Homes is also accepting monetary donations through its iGiveCatholic site. The link can be found at   www.christopherhomes.org/giving  .

Beth Donze can be reached at  bdonze@clarionherald.org  .