Kevin's Place
Kevin's Place provides free community meals to FISH and/or Friendly Hands food banks for distribution.
Donations to support Kevin’s Place are welcome and appreciated. Please make payable to St. John Paul the Great and put “Kevin’s Place” in memo on checks. Mail to parish office at 160 Main St., Torrington, CT 06790.
For more info or to volunteer, contact Chris Delgrande at 860-307-2969 or christine.delgrande@gmail.com.
Update November 2023
Kevin’s place was started in 2015 with the vision to serve our community and to live out the Corporal Works of Mercy. For the last eight years, we have done this successfully. Challenges have been overcome with Christ leading the way and with the help of countless volunteers.
Before COVID, an average of 30-60 meals were served twice a month in St. Peter Hall and in giving away about 30 bagged lunches to departing guests. During COVID, we pivoted from our original concept and instead only handed out bagged lunches at the door of St. Peter Hall. After COVID restrictions were lifted, we resumed food service in St. Peter Hall in June, 2022. However, participation numbers did not return to what they were pre-COVID.
In April of 2023, we once again restructured the use of our resources in the most efficient way for Kevin’s Place and the people it serves. Collectively we decided the new path was to make meals and deliver them to FISH NWCT (Friends in Service to Humanity of Northwestern CT). Our Confirmation students provide a meal to FISH once a month. Our adult volunteers provide another meal during the month when possible. FISH NWCT does not have a cook on Sundays, so these meals that are delivered on Saturdays are greatly appreciated and enjoyed. This restructuring allows us to once again serve 30-60 people every month.
Our goal in the coming year is to increase our food services from monthly to weekly. Meals are prepared in St. Peter Hall (to comply with health guidelines) and delivered on Saturdays to FISH NWCT. This goal would be better met with additional help.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Christine for more details about the program at 860- 482-4433 or stjpgdirectorofministries@gmail.com.
We are grateful for the incredible support of Father Emmanuel. His guidance, love and encouragement has kept us going. To Father Carlos, our volunteers, our donors and for all the prayers that are said in our honor, we are truly humbled by your support. This gives us hope for a brighter and more giving Church. As we continue this ministry, please keep all our volunteers and the people we serve in your prayers.
St. Peter Hall Kitchen Upgrades Completed!
We are glad to announce that the kitchen in St. Peter Hall has been updated and finished.
During this time, we had all the plumbing to the sinks and heating unit upgraded, the dishwashing sinks were raised up, new faucets were installed at the sinks and heating unit, stainless steel cover custom made for the butcher block; stainless steel back splash put in behind all the sinks, stainless steel cabinets installed and a commercial freezer put in. It was a long process, but during COVID, we were able to have all this work done without interrupting events.
Please note, no donations to Kevin’s Place were used for this project.
Funding was made possible by:
- Archbishops Annual Appeal
- Office of Catholic Social Justice – Archdiocese of Hartford
- James E. Murphy Foundation (The father to Kevin of Kevin’s Place)
Work was done by:
- Sullivan Brothers Remodeling, 1 Wolcott Rd., Wolcott, CT 06716
- Paul Melnik, Melnik Metal Works Inc, 153 Church St., Bristol, CT 06010
This outreach ministry would not be possible without the support of Fr. Emmanuel Ihemedu, Fr. Carlos Zapata, our parishioners, our volunteers and all the prayers said for Kevin’s Place. As Kevin’s Place approaches its 6th Anniversary in November, please continue to pray for this ministry and all who we serve.
We are looking forward to serving meals in the hall soon, once it is safe to do so.
With gratitude,
John and Christine Delgrande
Coordinators of Kevin’s Place
St. Peter Hall kitchen renovations
Kevin's Place 6th Anniversary
Our Mission Statement: To serve our brothers and sisters in Christ, with dignity and acceptance.
November 8, 2021, marks the 6th anniversary of Kevin's Place.
When we started Kevin’s Place on November 8, 2015, we functioned as four parishes along with the Spanish community. Today, we are proud to say we are united as one parish, all serving the community together.
We would like thank everyone who has supported us and our mission these past six years. Through your time, talent, treasure and prayers, you have all made it possible. To all the ministries that have contributed in one capacity or another, we thank you. To our volunteers who cook, clean and care for our guests, THANK YOU!! To Father Carlos Zapata, we thank you for encouraging the Spanish community to join our ministry.
A special thank you to Father Emmanuel – we couldn’t have kept going without you. Your unwavering support and guidance have been essential to us successfully moving forward.
We would like to thank the following businesses and organizations, as their generosity has contributed to the success of Kevin's Place as well.
- Archdiocese Annual Appeal
- Big Y World Class Market
- Cooperative Parish Sharing (CPS) grant through the Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry at the Archdiocese of Hartford.
- Dos Amigos Restaurant
- George’s Restaurant
- Jimmy’s Store
- Knights of Columbus
- La Cucina Ristorante
- Nardelli’s Grinder Shoppe
A portion of the grant money Kevin’s Place was fortunate to receive was used to buy a commercial freezer for the kitchen. The remainder of the grant money was used to update the hall kitchen which allows us to better serve the community.
If you’re interested in becoming involved in serving our community at Kevin’s Place, please call 860-307-2969.
We wish all our parishioners a blessed and healthy 2022.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation: I will fear no one. The Lord protects me from all danger, I will never be afraid.” – Psalm 27:1
