Father Manny feeds the hungry in Wicker Park
Marquard Center hosts soup kitchen for the poor and homeless

By Maria Neels
On a typical evening, Rev. Manuel Borg, or “Father Manny,” as he is known, glances at the clock and races through the dining room of the Marquard Center.

“I’ve got to get outside and start handing out tickets,” Borg says as he grabs a roll of carnival-style tickets and heads outside to a growing crowd.

More than 150 people, mostly men, have been gathering outside the center for more than an hour in order to be in the front of the line when Borg comes through. Borg zips in and out of the crowd, quickly greeting most of the visitors by name as he hands them a ticket.

Some have walked many miles to get one of the coveted tickets.

The ticket is their pass to a free meal that evening, which may be the only meal they eat in a day.

Soup's on
At 5:30 sharp, Borg commands the attention of all the gatherers and leads them in a meal prayer before allowing the holders of the first 40 tickets to enter the dining hall.

All of the Marquard Center’s visitors are homeless or low-income Chicagoans looking for a hot meal.

Every evening, 356 days a year, the Marquard Center at 1645 West LeMoyne St. in Wicker Park serves up hot meals to a few of Chicago’s homeless.

The center is located on a street deep in gentrification, where new red brick condos are a stark contrast to the dilapidated buildings and the homeless in the courtyard. The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless estimate 166,000 people experience homelessness every year in Chicago.

Borg is doing something about it. August marks Borg’s tenth year as manager of the Marquard Center. “A lot of people rely on us,” he says.

Borg says the summer months are the busiest for them, but throughout the year they average about 180 people each evening. According to Borg, the end of each month is always busier than the beginning because many people’s alternate food sources run out.

Helping hands
Borg doesn’t run the center alone. Many part-time and full-time volunteers assist him. The full-time volunteers commit a specific period of time to living and working at the Marquard Center.

Angelica Compton, a 23-year-old who graduated in 2002 from Catholic University in Washington D.C., is a few weeks shy of completing a year of service. She said the Marquard Center has changed her perception.

“It’s cool to walk around on the streets and know the homeless people by name,” Compton said.

She said she has really gotten to make friends with the people who come every evening and the experience has changed her perception of homelessness and people who utilize these services. “It’s been eye-opening seeing how a lot of these people have jobs,” she said.

Johannes Plagemann, a 21-year-old from Germany who is also completing a year of service, said it’s interesting to see how homelessness is such a normal thing for so many people. Plagemann said he now has a new desire to try to solve the problem of homelessness.

“Work does help people, but doesn’t tackle the actual problem,” Plagemann said. “I want to solve the problem from the core, not just work on the symptoms.”

Not all volunteers are full-time. Many volunteers come one time or once a week, whatever, their schedule permits. Jennifer Ford, a high school volunteer from Rochester, NY, said, “It’s humbling and eye-opening. You realize you are extremely blessed and you get to give back to others.”

Satisfied diners

The diners, like a middle-aged man named Albert, say the food is the best in the city. “You can’t get hot meals like this anywhere,” said Albert.

Albert said he typically walks the extra distance to make it to the Marquard Center for dinner. Borg stops handing out tickets at 6:30 every evening and they serve food until the last person is finished.

The crew of volunteers and Borg then begin the clean up and break down of the dining hall. As they close and lock the doors, they turn off the lights and collapse on benches. Tired from the past three hours, they are happy to get to be there.

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