Sister Loretta Jasper, CSJ, can be found at a cute little orange house that sits on the corner at 803 North Cedar Street in Abilene, Kansas. She has been a member of the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph since 1964. That’s 60 years of service and she shows no signs of letting up! It’s unlikely that she will be found idle, unless you count the time she spends sitting with a client in need of assistance. It’s more likely that she will be found making meals and jams, stocking the food pantry, meeting with her staff, or a laundry list of so many other duties. But the energy that she exudes makes the many tasks seem not like “duties” at all. It’s more of a feeling of loving your neighbor, just like the tagline says. Loving God and neighbor without distinction. This is the mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia.
Sister Loretta has been a licensed clinical professional counselor for years. Since 1991 she operated a private practice in Kansas City and was a military family life consultant. She did contract work in family counseling for the base at Fort Riley and the area schools. After some research, she decided in 2017 to relocate to the Abilene area to help tend to the unmet needs of people in the community. Her counseling skills are evident as she offers help to those who cross the threshhold of Neighbor to Neighbor Abilene. She’s familiar with various programs available to people and is great at giving direction and advice and laying out the steps needed to enhance the quality of their lives.
One of the major issues that Sister Loretta helps people deal with is food insecurity. “There are some major ‘food deserts’ in the area,” she said. If you can find a way to look back at the pandemic in a positive light, Sister Loretta says that the it really helped with name recognition of Neighbor to Neighbor. During the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown, when free and reduced lunches became unavailable from the schools, Neighbor to Neighbor Abilene wanted to make meals available to anyone in the county. While in-person meals weren’t a possibility, curbside and meal delivery was. Meals were prepared and packaged in the modest kitchen of the little orange house. They were made available six days per week and to date, over 150,000 meals have been provided!
Today, meals are prepared, packaged and placed in coolers on the porch three days per week. The porch also houses cabinets containing non-perishable foods, toiletries, and even pet food. These supplies are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, but help isn’t limited to those who can visit the little orange house on the corner. Neighbor to Neighbor has a van that travels to the surrounding towns of Solomon, Enterprise, Woodbine, and Hope, delivering food and hygiene items on Tuesday evenings.
Neighbor to Neighbor Abilene serves Dickinson County in multiple ways but they don’t do it alone. Many area businesses partner with the non-profit to help with the volume of supplies that are needed in the community. Abilene’s Pizza Hut has a daily buffet. None of the leftover pizza goes to waste, as they donate the left over food to Neighbor to Neighbor. Individuals and organizations hold food drives for them. When stores and restaurants in the area had to close during the pandemic, the remaining food and supplies were donated to them. When the store shelves were bare, people would bring food from Salina. They receive produce from the local grocery stores. Sr. Loretta states, “There’s not a thing wrong with the produce when we receive it. It’s beautiful. It’s a nice community effort. I wanted to engage the community in helping with the outreach and finding out what’s going on with their neighbors,” she explains. Community support and volunteer help are a vital part of the success of the programs.
While food insecurity is a major focus of the service provided, other concerns aren’t ignored. Some patrons need assistance with fuel or transportation to work, job interviews, or doctor appointments. Grants make bus vouchers and gas purchases available. Volunteers make rides to medical appointments a possibility. A partnership with a Topeka-based program called Community Action assists with rent and utility assistance when needed. Help with the application and a plan for the future to avoid a reoccurring issue is provided by Neighbor to Neighbor.
Endless vending, fundraisers, grants and volunteers make the whole operation possible.
A two-year, operational grant has recently been awarded from the Patterson Family Foundation to the non-profit and has provided the opportunity to hire and train a part-time staff. Grant-writing, accounting, volunteer coordination, communications and marketing positions have been filled to ensure that they can meet the needs of as many people as possible. The mission of the organization is to provide individuals and families at any stage of adult life with opportunities and tools to enhance the quality of life for their households.
The ministry of Neighbor to Neighbor Abilene is truly a community effort and Sister Loretta is undoubtedly living the mission.
Visit the website for more information at n2nabilene.com.
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Website: https://www.csjkansas.org/
