Camillus House serving dinner, dessert and kindness

MIAMI – Dozens of volunteers served dinner, dessert and kindness to hundreds of people struggling to find and keep a safe place to live.  

They met in a dining hall at Camillus House, a well-known provider of care for homeless guests.  Still, the portion of comfort spread Thursday evening stunned some people starving for a reason to smile.

Roblyn Woodstock and Cheryl Glover know struggle. Both are clients at Camillus House.

“I don’t have no family but my son,” Glover said.

“I lost my family in the past and I wanted to give up,” Woodstock said.

Woodstock never thought she would find help at Camillus House, she said.  The ministry offers shelter, food and other services.  More than a 1,000 people in Miami-Dade County have no permanent shelter, according to the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust.

Tony Pedro noticed it years ago.  He moved from Brazil to Miami and opened a business downtown in 1995. Two years later, his family began cooking and serving food to people without shelter. 

“There’s violence in the street, there’s crime in the street because we don’t have love,” Pedro said.

His family still serves food every Thursday. They also organize a holiday dinner party in December at Camillus House. 

Twenty-six years after the Pedro family began serving, volunteers from St. Augustine Catholic Church, Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church, partners with the Homeless Trust and others joined.

“I was previously married to his daughter and I just started doing it through them and I’ve been doing it since,” Justin Hoeschele, a volunteer said.

With more help, the event grew. This year brought more decorations, platters full of food and heaps of life-changing motivation on both sides of the buffet.

Volunteer Jim Sullivan remembered why he started serving decades ago.

“I was going through some issue and I’ve always thought that the best way to deal with those is to try to help somebody else out,” he said.

“You can’t stop the mission with one’s self,” Pedro said. 

They fed more than 400 people. Volunteers also gave dinner guests, who enjoyed music and cheer from Santa, backpacks with gifts. 

“Everybody that was part of this: Thank you so much,” Darisha Moore, a dinner guest said.

Woodstock and Glover enjoyed presents too. However, both savored the bonds built with strangers who feel like much more.

“I (have) a new family,” Woodstock said. “I never knew they were here all these years and they brightened up my life.”