The sack lunch program was started by Mr. Jim Shannon. Jim, a retired Waco native, wanted to fill a need in the community and thus noticed the alarming increase in homeless individuals in the downtown Waco area, and particularly a need to feed these homeless individuals and families that were increasing and looking for a lunch, and for some the only meal they would eat that day. As a result, he found an increased interest from not only the homeless, but local families that were affected by the recession, everyday hard-working Americans with no income, have turned up at his doorstep to receive these sacked luncheons.

The sack lunch program started in April 2009 and has continued with great support from Saint Mary's parishioners. The program has been a success through the random donations of food from local Sarah Lee distributers, HEB discounted purchases, donations from the community and our council, and the voluntary sacrifice our members make in supplying the utensils/supplies and service for the lunch period.

The sack lunch, costing of $1 to produce contains a sealed bottled water, a can of Vienna sausages, a pack of crackers, a sealed wrapped spork, and if available, Fruit or a Little Debbie treat. The lunch is served Monday-Friday, 11am to 12 Noon, and is served directly to the needy community on the intersection of Washington and 14th St. The St. Mary parish rectory provides the storage for the supplies and the place where individuals can pick up a free lunch.

We would like to extend this opportunity to others in the community as we continue to see this program succeed. We do not exclude any race, gender, religion affiliation, orientation, income level, or standard, we do this as a good cause to make a difference and support the community in Waco to ensure we all have a chance to survive and make a difference in the downtown district. We started serving 300 lunches in April 2009 and now have doubled the amount, and that is just by word of mouth!