DETROIT — Deo Gratias Ministries recently welcomed Bro. Gary Wegner, OFM Cap., executive director of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, to the organization's board of directors.
“We are pleased to have Bro. Gary join our board and share his leadership and Franciscan charism with the Deo Gratias team,” said Bob Sadler, Deo Gratias' executive director. “This further solidifies the partnership Deo Gratias has with the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in serving our guests in the northeast Detroit community.”
Established in 2018 by two Felician sisters, Deo Gratias Ministries serves the people of Detroit through a variety of programs, including but not limited to a food pantry, community garden, social services, and opportunities for fellowship.
The relationship between Deo Gratias Ministries and the Capuchins began in 2022, after Bro. Wegner and Bro. Steven Kropp, OFM Cap., met the sisters at the Archdiocese of Detroit's Mission Expo.
Bro. Wegner said that they saw an opportunity to help one another in ministry.
"Since then, we have provided them with a full-time social worker, a security guard, and we provide anywhere from 150 to 180 hot lunches for Deo Gratias Ministries 3-4 days a week," he said.
Bro. Wegner is grateful for the ongoing relationship between the Capuchins and Deo Gratias Ministries and hopes to continue to help them grow and expand in his new role.
"By partnering with them, it has helped us to extend our outreach without adding to our overhead or footprint, which has been great," Bro. Wegner said. "I hope to help them to continue to stabilize and grow, and to offer whatever insights I might have from the soup kitchen that may be helpful."
