'A Blessing Every Day': Cathedral Community Cares Serves Neighbors in Need Steps From Columbia

Steps from Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus, Cathedral Community Cares (CCC) has long been a place where neighbors and New Yorkers writ large find more than food or clothing. It is also a place they find care, respect, and connection.

Supported in part by Columbia Community Service (CCS) through yearly grants and clothing donations, the program operates out of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine and runs a soup kitchen, full-service pantry, and clothing closet that meets urgent need across Harlem and Morningside Heights.

Since 2019, through CCS, Columbians have supported CCC through $74,000 in grants.

We recently sat down with Thomas Perry, who began as a volunteer and is now the director of CCC, and Priscilla Bayley, from the cathedral's development team, to talk about how their work has changed over the years and why it matters more than ever this year. 

How did you come to work with Cathedral Community Cares?

Thomas Perry: The Cathedral [of St. John the Divine] is special because it has, I don't want to say it's magical, but it’s the vibe. Once you get on the grounds, it's different than New York City. When I first came here, I started volunteering in the soup kitchen. I came in, washed dishes, and went home, but while walking around, I saw that there was so much happening.

They had social services, clothing, and referrals for housing or food stamps. I was amazed because it was only one day a week, but they were giving so much. The cathedral always had your back. And to this day, it hasn’t changed. We adjust with the times, but it’s still about helping people get what they need.

I remember my first time coming to volunteer in the soup kitchen: it was chaotic, but organized. You walk downstairs, and there’s a sign-in desk, social workers meeting with seniors, and people typing on laptops. The kitchen’s tiny but buzzing: tables of volunteers making sandwiches, others plating hot food. They gave me a quick training: wash your hands, change your gloves, wear your hairnet.

It was a learning experience, and I needed it. You see people working hard, paid staff and volunteers, all on the same page. That spirit hasn’t changed in all the years I've been here.

What does the work encompass?

Priscilla Bayley: We got a grant right before the pandemic to completely overhaul what used to be a small emergency pantry ... it’s now a full-service pantry. Every morning, there’s a line down the driveway. We see 60 to 80 people a day, many representing whole families.

We also run a full clothing closet. Columbia Community Service has been very generous with clothing drives. The city sent tons of people to us during the immigrant crisis last year; kids were arriving in shorts in the middle of winter. So the closet became another portal for services. 

We connect people with a volunteer social worker, help with housing applications, SNAP benefits, and we’ve expanded to provide everything from interview clothes to underwear and shoes. We even do mock interviews so people leave confident and ready for success.

What is the need like for the services CCC provides this year?

Thomas Perry: When the migrant situation started two years ago, it was stressful. Families with kids were coming in, and we didn’t have children’s clothing. You don’t want to tell anyone no, but we didn’t have diapers or coats. That was hard.

Now we’re seeing more families again and, surprisingly, more military families. People who’ve just been laid off or are struggling to get by. You can feel that change. Budgets are being cut, and we’re just trying to keep up and help people live day to day.

Priscilla Bayley: A lot of state food programs are pass-throughs for federal money, and we’ve seen those slashed. A NYS Department of Agriculture that allowed us to buy New York-grown produce has ended. But we did get a capital grant to renovate the CCC kitchen, which is a game-changer. The building is 125 years old. Right now, only three or four people can work in the kitchen at once.

Once it’s renovated, we’ll be able to bring in more volunteers and make a lot more food. Our Sunday meal is a hot meal (which is rare in New York) and people also get two to-go meals, so they leave with an entire day’s worth of food. 

Because the cathedral is so large, we can hold a service and run the meal program early in the morning, so if you and your kids are hungry, you don’t have to wait till the afternoon. That flexibility is what makes us unique.

How has Columbia Community Service impacted the work of CCC over the years?

Priscilla Bayley: I think flexibility is the biggest gift. Many funders have narrow interests, but CCS allows us to respond to real needs. When several of our refrigerators and freezers broke down (one was 20 years old!), CCS funds meant we could act immediately.

When the clothing closet had to close due to a lack of inventory, we could buy gift cards to Old Navy so people could still get what they needed. That flexibility makes all the difference.

As soon as the cessation of SNAP benefits was announced, the Cathedral team got together and conceived a campaign to purchase grocery cards to be distributed to those impacted. We chose to offer store cards in addition to food to provide our clients with the same dignity, flexibility, and ease of use that the SNAP cards did. 

We are distributing them through both the CCC soup kitchen and the food pantry.  On Sunday [Nov. 2], we distributed 50 $100 cards. In less than a week, our community has already given more than $50,000 for the grocery card fund, and we will continue to raise more as the shutdown continues, to ensure that no one goes hungry.

What keeps you hopeful? What keeps you going?

Thomas Perry: I’m not really a religious guy, but it’s a blessing to wake up and help someone. You might not get a "thank you," and that’s okay. If I can make a difference for one person, I’m good with that.

We’ve had families come in who couldn’t find basic things elsewhere, like detergent, toothbrushes, dishwashing liquid. We thought, why can’t we offer those things too? So we started doing it. And when Columbia students donate coffee or sugar, that’s something special we can give to families who otherwise wouldn’t have it. It all matters.

Priscilla Bayley: It’s the selflessness of the team. I’ve seen Thomas come in on his day off because he knew a client was coming back for something. I’ve seen Vanessa, who runs the clothing closet, open it on a Sunday for someone who had an emergency.

They see each person as an individual. When you’re seeing dozens of people a day, that’s not easy—but that’s what makes CCC what it is.

Learn more about Cathedral Community Cares.

Please continue to support the work of wonderful CCS grantees like CCC, and donate to Columbia Community Service today. Any amount will make a difference.