Virtual “Voices from the Heart” gala honoring Fr. Burke and RCM&D to help fund dining tent this winter for Franciscan Center guests

(October 21, 2020) Eight months to the day since the state’s pandemic lockdown closed its dining room, the Franciscan Center in Baltimore’s Old Goucher neighborhood will again welcome guests and clients to sit down and be served a tasty, nutritious meal.

A 200-seat-capacity heated tent will open Monday, November 16 on the Center’s parking lot at 2216 Maryland Avenue, complete with wi-fi and phone charging stations. For the hundreds of homeless and working poor who rely on the Center daily, it will mark the first time since Monday, March 16 – when “grab-and-go” meals were instituted in response to concerns about spreading Covid-19 – that they will be able to eat their meals in a communal dining area.

“With the cold weather and holidays coming, it’s critical that we give those who need our help a safe, comfortable place to eat,” said Jeffrey Griffin, executive director of the Franciscan Center. “Meal times are also great times to let our guests and clients know we can help them with other needs: clothing, employment, housing, preventing eviction, getting access to benefits or government identification, and so much more,” he added.

The Center is planning special holiday meals under the tent, including a Thanksgiving Eve meal on Wednesday, November 25, which is expected to attract 500-600 diners. Another 1,000 meals will be delivered around the city.

Demand has surged since the lockdown began. The Franciscan Center, a ministry of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi founded in 1968, has served more than 250,000 meals in the seven months spanning mid-March through mid-October, compared with 133,000 in all of 2019. To ensure room for proper social distancing, guests and clients will be served 100 at a time at lunch (served Monday-Friday) and dinner (Tuesday and Wednesday evenings).

Funding for the tent will come in part from the virtual “Voices from the Heart” gala to be held on Monday, November 9. During the gala, staff and board leaders will present the Spirit of St. Francis and Spirit of St. Clare awards, which honor individual and corporate partners who exemplify the spirit of the Center’s patron saints in their dedication to serving Baltimore’s most vulnerable citizens.

This year’s honorees are Rev. Msgr. William F. Burke, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi parish in northeast Baltimore, and insurance advisory firm RCM&D

Fr. Burke, ordained June 28, 1959, is one of the longest-serving priests in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. His first assignment was at St. Mark in Catonsville. He was also the pastor at St. Ann; St. Mary, Star of the Sea; and St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Highlandtown. Since 1980, he has been the inspirational leader of St. Francis of Assisi parish in the Mayfield neighborhood, known for his love of working with the poor.

Founded in 1885 and ranked among the top privately-held insurance advisory firms in the country, RCM&D provides strategic insurance consulting, risk management and employee benefits services to diverse clients. The firm employs more than 300 professionals in six locations throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Over the past 26 years, RCM&D’s annual Regatta has raised more than $1 million for over 50 regional beneficiaries, including the Franciscan Center. 

The Franciscan Center is still seeking additional financial support to underwrite the tent, and volunteer cooks, servers, runners, delivery people and food donations.

To contribute, please contact Ben Trently, development and communications manager, at [email protected] or 410-467-5340 ext 115

To volunteer, please contact Angela Hall, volunteer and in-kind coordinator, at [email protected] or 410-467-5340 ext 113

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