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About Us
WE ARE ST. FRANCIS CENTER LOS ANGELES
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OUR HISTORY
St. Francis Center Los Angeles
For 50 years, St. Francis Center has provided hunger relief to homeless and extremely low-income families and individuals in Los Angeles. Though its beginnings were modest, the Center’s aim was always high, thanks in large part to its three inspiring founders.
FATHER HUGH
In 1972, with the help of lay Franciscans, Father Hugh Noonan, O.F.M., founded St. Francis Center and began serving coffee and doughnuts and distributing clothing to the poor and homeless. Long before starting the centre, however, Fr. Hugh had established himself as an innovator. In 1946, as a resident of St. Joseph Church in Los Angeles, he created and produced “The Hour of St. Francis” radio program. The weekly show included dramatic tales that explored everyday problems in a uniquely practical yet uplifting way.
Broadcast over 500 stations nationwide, the program was so highly regarded that many top names in Hollywood took leading roles in the productions.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, while still at St. Joseph’s, Fr. Hugh began encountering an increasing number of poor families and homeless individuals knocking on the church’s doors, requesting food and help.
Although the parish had a modest food pantry as part of its social ministry, Fr. Hugh wanted to do more. He wanted to serve the community in a more comprehensive way, so he set up a clothing and food donation centre in a small building next to the church.
HISTORY
VISION
As a community of hope, St. Francis Center:
- Accepts people as they are;
- Builds community among those who serve and those who are served;
- Is valued as a vital, safe and highly sought-after community center;
- Provides a comprehensive referral network of health and social service agencies;
- Provides access to opportunities not typically available by economic and geographic limitations;
- Develops sufficient spiritual and material resources to ensure the long-term viability of the Center.
MISSION
St. Francis Center’s mission is to feed, serve, and walk with the poor as a community of hope in the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi.
BELIEFS
St. Francis Center recognizes and believes:
- In the dignity of all persons;
- That adequate resources exist for basic necessities;
- That as members of the human race, we are called to support each other in any way we can;
- That the Catholic Faith, the teaching and example of Saint Francis of Assisi in particular, provide an especially powerful model for working with and among the poor.
