Social Programs at Father Jack’s Mission

Chimbote family standing in their home.

Our social programs provide the basic needs you and I take for granted. Far too many children and adults living within the barrios of the mission experience the raw ache of hunger day after day after day. The focus of our social programs is to help the poor of Chimbote get access to the most basic needs of human life … food, water, shelter, clothing and a safe place to sleep.

Soup Kitchens

When was the last time you were hungry … really hungry? Fortunately, for those of us living in the land of plenty, most have never experienced the feelings that come with chronic malnutrition, the kind that leaves one lethargic, unable to concentrate, work or even sleep.

More than 3,000 times per week, a man, woman or child in Chimbote reaches the front of the line in a soup kitchen and receives a bowl of soup, a plate of rice and a glass of juice. The cost—about 30 cents per meal—is primarily covered by Friends of Chimbote funds with some assistance from the Peruvian government. Jobs are provided to women within the barrios who proudly work as cooks and servers.

Chimbote worker preparing meals in the soup kitchen.

Family Advocacy

Poverty and injustice are frequent partners—it’s more difficult for the poor to fight for their rights when they can’t pay for legal services. Amongst the poor, it is the children and women who often suffer the most. Friends of Chimbote supports the mission’s legal advocacy program making it possible for victims of domestic abuse, housing discrimination, lack of parental support, wrongful arrest and other issues to get legal advice and representation.

Donated Goods/Containers

For the past several years, dedicated supporters from St. Michael’s sister parish in Prior Lake, MN have collected and shipped hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of medical, educational, personal and various other goods to the mission. Recently, Providence Presbyterian of Charlotte, NC has done the same. Over the years, the goods have been shared with thousands of the mission’s poor, as well as the medical and dental post, hospice, educational programs and other mission programs. These shipments have provided items that funds would never have been available to purchase in Chimbote. Learn more about our container shipments.

Emergency Assistance

Each and every day, unexpected needs arise among the poor of Chimbote: transportation to get a sick family member to the hospital or purchase medication, an unexpected school expense, paying a utility bill so power will not be shut off, or replenishing daily potable water supplies. Most families never have a safety net for such expenses. The mission employs trained social workers to evaluate families’ needs and determine those who have the highest need for short-term funds to survive.