Cross the Street Ministry wins the Matthew 25 Award for its work serving the unhoused

The Cross the Street Ministry of Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston and Mildred’s Food Pantry, a ministry of St. Mary of the Visitation Parish in Houlton, are the 2025 winners of Matthew 25 Awards. The awards, given out by Catholic Charities Maine Parish Social Ministry (PSM), are intended to help parishes meet the needs of their community. The Cross the Street Ministry, which serves the unhoused of Lewiston, received a $6000 grant, while Mildred’s Food Pantry received $4000.

Bishop James Ruggieri and Deacon Frank Daggett, director of PSM, presented the first-place award to Prince of Peace Parish during a Mass celebrated at the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul in Lewiston on Sunday, February 23.

“We the Church serve the poor because we first recognize God's love for us through Christ. Christ served us first by dying and rising for us. Christ was not seeking to make political change, nor was he an ideologue parroting back some pagan Roman self-centered platform. He was, and is, the Incarnate Word, God in the flesh, love divine in our midst. His charitable work of salvation was done purely out of love. We matter. We matter to the Father because of who we are, created in his image and likeness. Salvation is not part of some social platform. The work of salvation is the work of love, divine love,” the bishop said.

“It's an exceptional ministry. It's only been going for a short time, but it's really taken off,” said Deacon Daggett. “They are showing the love of God to the people who are out on the street. That is a work of evangelization. It's a work of showing that we spread our love to those who may not be aware of the love that God has for them.”

The Cross the Street Ministry was founded in August 2023 in recognition of the challenges facing downtown Lewiston and with a desire to play a role in addressing some of those struggles.

“We figured that since the basilica is right in the center, the whole parish is right in the center of it all, that we should be part of some solution, addressing the issues. So that’s when we started the discussion of, well, what can we do? How do we live our faith in Christ here in the midst of this community that has these problems?” explained Father Daniel Greenleaf, pastor.

The ministry started out with a small group handing out food to people they encountered in Kennedy Park, but it continued to expand and is now a five-day-a-week ministry, with an eye towards adding a sixth day. On each of those days, volunteers “cross the street” to interact with members of the homeless community and to hand out snack packs, sandwiches, and other items, such as mylar thermal blankets, socks, or tissues.

“We do give out things, but our main goal is really to interact with people. Talking with them, we’re getting to know them. They know us,” said Denise Begin, one of the organizers. “We’ve had cases where people say, ‘You know, you’re the first person I was able to talk to today,’ and that was at one o’clock.”

“It can be really hard to see, but when you engage with these folks and you ask them their name, maybe it’s the first time that they’ve had anybody call them by their name in weeks. And you can see their eyes light up. There’s something about that,” said Rit Leslie, one of the volunteers.

There are now about 80 volunteers. There is a packing crew that puts together snack packs, a sandwich making crew, and a street crew that delivers them. And of course, there are the many parishioners who donate money or items. 

“It really does draw us together,” said Leslie.

The volunteers said the people they meet truly seem to appreciate the outreach, but they are quick to point out that they have greatly benefited, too.

“We’re serving people, but we’re blessed because of, number one, the interactions that we have. We see Christ in these people, and that is very humbling,” said Paul Gastonguay, a volunteer.

“They're doing good, and it's in their faith. I think that that makes just all the difference in the world for them because they sort of feel like, you know, I hear the Gospel, and we're doing it. And it just feels like it's the right thing,” said Father Greenleaf.

As the ministry continued to expand, the parish added a used food truck, which increased visibility and the ability to deliver more items. With images of Pope Saint John Paul II and Saint Teresa of Calcutta prominently displayed on the truck’s sides, people affectionately refer to it as the “Popemobile.”

The parish plans to use money from the Matthew 25 Award to add a heating element and a small refrigerator to the food truck, so they will have the option of delivering hot meals in the winter and chilled water and beverages in the summer.

Mildred's Food Pantry in Houlton applied for the Matthew 25 Award in hopes of being able to purchase a walk-in refrigerator/freezer.

Catholic Charities Maine Parish Social Ministry and the Matthew 25 Award are funded by the annual Catholic Appeal.