Saint Benedict Joseph Labre Ministry to the Homeless
Labre takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. every Sunday (with the exception of Graduation, Easter and Christmas). We will begin and end our night at Gibbon Hall (located by the Welsh Academy and the Fire Station). Dress is comfortable / casual and you do not need to bring anything but yourslef.
SUMMER LABRE SIGNUPS: In order to sign up for Labre over the summer, email
labresummer@gmail.com starting Monday morning the week before you'd like to come out. The first 15 people to email will be put on the list. All spots are only confirmed after email confirmation.
Please direct any questions to our moderators and we will gladly assist you.
Moderators: Ms. Amanda Martin,
Mr. John Gill '97, and
Fr. Dan Reim S.J.
We hope to see you on a Sunday soon!
To donate to the Labre Ministry, please contact moderators
Ms. Amanda Martin, or
Mr. John Gill '97
Items needed:
Sweat Pants / Jeans
XL, 2XL and 3X T-Shirts
Travel Size Toothpaste
Travel Size Deodorant
Travel Size Shampoo & Conditioner
Hats
Gloves
All Sizes Sweatshirts / Hoodies
Batteries
Thank you!
A.M.D.G.
History of Labre
Labre was founded in 2002 by Mr. Jim Skerl ’74, Mr. Tim Grady ’95, and two students: Bryan Norton '03 and Bob Snyderburn '03. They took some PB&J sandwiches in an SUV and drove around Cleveland looking for people in need of food and friendship. One of the men took notes on a piece of cardboard—names, locations and stories.
Over 21 years later, the format largely remains unchanged. PB&J is still on the menu each week, and a scribe in each of the vans who goes out on Labre records details from each night’s visits. Labre operates out of the Joseph Family Kitchen in Gibbons Hall, a vast improvement from the days of the old cafeteria kitchen.
More than 1,000 weeks have passed since that first Labre, and members of Saint Ignatius have not missed a single weekend outing. Nearly a dozen other high schools and colleges across the country have launched their own Labre ministries in imitation of the one first started in Cleveland.
Labre has been featured on newscasts and in news articles. In 2015 FOX 8 photojournalist
Ali Ghanbari spent three weeks with Labre, showcasing the ministry’s remarkable friendships.