More Than a Soup Kitchen

Founder & Executive Director, Betsy Reznicek, joins the podcast to talk about her furniture bank, Home Sweet Home and how they've been able to serve St. Patrick Center clients and others across St. Louis. Tune in to learn more about the work Betsy and her team are doing and how you can help support their mission, which in turn supports St. Patrick Center's.@morethanasoupkitchen

Kevin sat down with Missouri Senator Brian Williams to discuss the work being done in the Missouri government regarding homelessness and housing instability.  Learn how his upbringing directed him to public service and why he is so passionate about the work he's doing to support his community. @morethanasoupkitchen

Mike, Board Chair for St. Patrick Center's Young Professionals Board, joins the podcast to discuss the many ways he's helping to support the mission of St. Patrick Center.  Learn how Mike help get State funding for SPC's new transitional living facility McFarlane Place as well as the other ways he's helping to lend a hand around the Center.@morethanasoupkitchen

Learn how US Army Veteran, Chris Mendes - Director of veteran housing programs - support unhoused military veterans in there search for housing and just life in general.

Kevin recently sat down with St. Patrick Center client and advocate Eric to discuss his journey from  incarceration to community advocate and facilitator. 

Displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Dr. Deidra Thomas-Murray found herself involuntarily transplanted to St. Louis, MO. Learn about her journey to St. Louis and what she has been up to since starting her new life in the Midwest with her three daughters. 

From prison to the university research labs at Howard University. Learn how Dr. Stan Andrisse turned his life around and is now on a mission to help others do the same.

Meet Anna and Rachel, two members of the St. Patrick Center Young Professionals Board. Learn how they got their start on the board and how they are making an impact. 

Brandy sat down with Women's Night Program client Lynda to discuss her experience with homelessness. Lynda shares how she became homeless and how eventually found her way to St. Patrick Center. The two also discuss the Women's Night Program and how it's addressing homelessness amongst women in St. Louis.

On this episode, we visit with Tenaj Moody. Tenaj is the founder and CEO of Light to Life,  an anti-domestic violence consulting firm that provides transformational and intersectional education, training, and consulting to prevent violence.   St. Patrick Center's Women's Night program has worked with Tenaj to provide these important resources to our clients. We discussed Tenaj's upbringing as well as her motivation to start her company Light to Life.  We also learn about what Tenaj is working on regarding reentry and her work with Prisons to PHD. https://www.lighttolife.org/https://www.tenajmoody.com/shop/p/carry-it-with-you-ebook

Founder of Pathways to Housing, Dr. Sam Tsemberis, joins the show to discuss his mission to end homelessness using a model he and his team created called, Housing First. Considered the Gold Standard of treatment around the world,  learn what housing first is and hear about some awesome outcomes produced from this model. Thank you for listening! Please follow our show and leave a review/comment. 

On this episode of More Than a Soup Kitchen we visit with Ramona Curtis, Founder of Unhoused STL. Ramona tells us all about how she started Unhoused STL and all the ups and downs that have come along her journey. We also get a glimpse at what's to come for Ramona and her group as they look to continue helping more of our unhoused neighbors. Thank you for listening! Please follow our show and leave a review/comment. 

After leaving the military to join corporate America, Rico thought his path in life was set. Find out what unexpected life event happened to shift his path, landing Rico at St. Patrick Center. Also, learn what he's been up to since first visiting St. Patrick Center and how he's turned tragedy to triumph. Thank you for listening! Please follow our show and leave a review/comment. 

Husband, father, military veteran and chef, Milano, sits down to discuss his battle with homelessness.  We discuss his upbringing, his time in the military and what led to his becoming homeless. We also talk about his recipe for recovering and how his skills as a chef has led to his success in the food industry. Thank you for listening! Please follow our show and leave a review/comment. 

Husband, father, military veteran and chef, Milano, sits down to discuss his battle with homelessness.  We discuss his upbringing, his time in the military and what led to his becoming homeless. We also talk about his recipe for recovering and how his skills as a chef has led to his success in the food industry. Thank you for listening! Please follow our show and leave a review/comment.

We sat down "virtually" with Founder and Executive Director of Cloud Covered Streets in Phoenix, AZ, Robert Thornton.  We discuss Robert's nonprofit mobile shower trailer organization, "Cloud Covered Streets". Robert shares the story of how he got started and what the journey has been like so far working with the unhoused community.  For more information on Cloud Covered Streets, visit their website at cloudcoveredstreets.org

System impacted by a broken system, Basia Skudrzyk, is on a mission to change the narrative for the many St. Patrick Center clients looking for a second chance. We visit with Basia, Workforce Development Case Manager, to discuss St. Patrick Center's workforce development program and the impact it has on our clients. We also discuss the lack of second chance employment opportunities for individuals who are formerly incarcerated and how she is working to help fix that broken system. Thank you for listening! Please follow our show and leave a review/comment. 

Trailer for the new More Than a Soup Kitchen podcast