Crispus Attucks

At St. Edward's, Lancaster, Father Stephen Casey has been involved in the Crispus Attucks homeless shelter since his arrival at St. Edward's. Getting to know the manager of the shelter, he would respond to any financial requests through his discretionary fund. Six years ago, Doug Hopwood, a member of St. Edward's who was working with the Lancaster County Council of Churches was informed that Crispus Attucks was seeking churches to provide weekend meals on a regular basis. This seemed like a wonderful opportunity for St. Edward's to reach out in a very meaningful way, so the parish signed up to provide a meal one Sunday a month throughout the year.

Under Fr. Stephen’s and Doug Hopwood’s leadership, all ministry groups within the parish agreed to take their turn to prepare and serve the meals; Vestry, Men's Group, Youth Group,

The Knit Wits and individual parishioners who partner with each other to sponsor a Sunday dinner. At the start, they fed 60 to 70 people at a time; with the deteriorating economy and further job losses, that figure has since doubled and now between 125 to 140 people are

served on any given Sunday. Fr. Casey explains, "Located as we are in the affluent suburbs of Lancaster, it is easy for the parish to be unaware of the needs of those who live at the margins of society. Through the Crispus Attucks meal program, the people of St. Edward's are able to reach out to those in need and put the gospel into action." The program is funded through the church by the congregation and subsidized through an Operation Understanding Grant. The ministry is ecumenical, and St. Edward's has been one of the largest contributors to this meal-serving program

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