1,200 Sandwiches
Every Monday, I am sharing a #MCM (Man crush Monday) of a local resident of the South Bay to bring awareness to those making a difference in our community.
Today’s #MCM title belongs to Herman Villoria, who has spent 20+ years feeding the homeless in Los Angeles EVERY Saturday!
Herman Villoria was born in Bogota, Colombia. His parents had nine children in total, and he was the sixth child. He migrated to the U.S. in January of 1965 and never got married or had children. However, he was fortunate to have 22 nieces and nephews which he loves dearly and for this reason, never felt as though he missed out.
Today, Herman works for the Boeing Company in El Segundo as a Tool Crib Lead. He has been working with Boeing for over 26 years. Outside of spending time with his family and working, Herman works with the Missionary Brothers of Charity as a volunteer every Saturday.
Often, many people begin organizations or goals only to give up when progress is not seen quick enough. Herman has proven his loyalty to the Missionary by committing his weekends, no matter the rain or sunshine.
The Missionaries of Charity Brothers was founded in 1963 by Mother Teresa in hopes of feeding the homeless in order to bring to light the passage ‘Matthew 25: 36-4’ from the Bible. Herman has been with the missionary since 1988.
The Missionary is ran by missionary brothers and volunteers who come on Saturday to help prepare 1200 sandwiches, nearly 50 gallons of ice tea and pastries. The sandwiches are prepared at the home of the Missionary in L.A. and then volunteers split into seven different routes and distribute the items through the streets of Los Angeles to the homeless.
According to Herman, “We reach out to those who are the poorest of the poor. Most of our routes are walking and some are driving. We get anywhere from 12 to 25 volunteers each week, on holidays we see many volunteers. This is when people want to help.” Despite many charities which have monthly or even annual events, the Missionaries of Charity Brothers meets every Saturday- rain or shine!
The volunteers do not preach to the people about mother Teresa for she “said not by words but by our example,” Herman explains. He has found that the people on the street are very grateful. They often see the same people since they go to the same areas and they know they are coming.
In order to create the items for the homeless, the missionary relies on donations which often comes from those who know about the cause. Donations are needed to supply items such as ham, cheese, bread, bread bags, ice tea, cookies and cups. Herman explains that people can simply help by donating gallon containers of mustard, sandwich bags, or cookies. In addition, gift cards to Smart and Final will aid in purchasing these items.
Herman’s weekly schedule for Saturday is as follows:
1.Leave his house at 8:30 to get to the Brothers and help prepare the food to be taken out to the streets.
2. Leave the Missionary at 9:15 or 9:30 depending on the amount of volunteers and how soon preparing everything is completed.
3. Reach out to anywhere from 50 to 75 people on his route, which Herman explains is best to complete with five people. However, it is often that he does this alone.
Herman explains that the missionary is in need of volunteers who would like to do this on a regular basis, that way they can continue keeping the missionary alive. His volunteering shift is completed as early as 10:30 in the morning, but the rewarding feel lasts all day.
He believes that the most rewarding thing thus far has been the people he has met and how grateful they are. According to Herman, “It’s just right to try and reach out to so many on the streets that just want to be treated as humans. All it takes is a little hello, how are you doing today.”
Thank you, Herman, for selflessly spending your Saturdays giving back to our community and making the world a better place.
If interested in learning more about the Missionary, please refer to the youtube link here and if interested in donating, please email Herman at [email protected]