St. Stephen Parishioners Feed Hungry Hearts

Homeless and living in her car in Brandon, Nancy Ryan couldn't think of a better way to begin the New Year than with a home-cooked meal prepared by Brandon resident Jean Batronie.

Each Sunday, before heading to Tampa to feed the city's homeless residents, Batronie meets Ryan in a Brandon parking lot with a hot meal. Ryan said it's often the only hot meal she receives all week.

On New Year's Day, Batronie prepared one of Ryan's favorite dishes, chicken alfredo. The homeless woman smiled as she accepted the meal.

"Her food's always good," said Ryan. "I like it all."

What began as an act of defiance eight years ago has transformed into a mission of love for Batronie.

In 2004, Batronie ran for Hillsborough County commissioner against Ronda Storms. During the course of her campaign, she was outraged to hear that college students in Tampa had been arrested for bringing sandwiches to Tampa's homeless population.

"I bought 100 hamburgers and handed them out to the homeless downtown, defying the city to arrest me," said Batronie. "But they left me alone, so I brought hamburgers for the next couple of weeks. Then I started making homemade food and going to yard sales to buy socks, shoes and clothing for the homeless. It was just something simple that evolved."

Married for 43 years, Jean and Arleen Batronie incorporated their mission as the St. Jude Helping Hands Foundation in 2008 and now visit Tampa each Sunday with food for 50 to 80 homeless residents.

"St. Jude is my favorite saint," explained Jean Batronie. "And it seemed to be an appropriate name because he's the patron saint of hopeless cases. Hopelessness is a feeling these guys are familiar with."

Something to Look Forward To

The Batronies spend more than $150 a week out of their own pockets, scouring yard sales for clothing, blankets and shoes for the homeless and purchasing new underwear, hygiene products, batteries, headphones and water as well as the ingredients for Batronie's homemade meals.

"A lot of the groups that feed the homeless just pass out sandwiches," said Batronie. "My idea was to cook meals they'll look forward to. I used to go to my grandma's for Sunday dinner and remember how special those meals were. I wanted to give the homeless something equally special."

Batronie begins cooking early Sunday morning, preparing such dishes from scratch as lasagna, chili, Hawaiian chicken, sloppy Joes, corned beef hash, barbecue pork and shepherd's pie.

Then, often accompanied by their son, Tim, and grandson, Caleb, the couple head downtown, where they're met by the homeless in a parking lot at Franklin and Harrison streets.

"I was raised Old World Catholic and taught that you're supposed to help people," said Batronie. "It's just something you do. You help people who are in trouble. Every time I go downtown and share my food, it's like Christmas to me. You see the smiles on their faces and it makes it all worthwhile."

At the parking lot, the homeless politely line up as Batronie dishes up his latest creation and hands a plate to each man and women, greeting each them with a compassionate, "How are you doing, sweetie?" or "There you go, angel."

"To me, they are angels," said Batronie. "I've never had any trouble, and I've gotten to know a lot of them very well. I've been feeding some of them for years."

"All of them are friendly, very nice," agreed Arleen Batronie. "I remember there was a time when we walked to the side when we saw a homeless person. Now we offer to help."

Faces of the Homeless

Batronie recalls one of the homeless, a man named Lonnie, who often helped him distribute food and clothing.

"Lonnie celebrated his 21st birthday in Vietnam," said Batronie. "He was one of the casualties of the war. He just never recovered from the way he was treated, and ended up living on the streets."

Two years ago, Lonnie was killed while crossing Bayshore Boulevard.

"I still think a lot about Lonnie," said Batronie. "He was one of my favorites."

Today, Johnny Smith, known as "Pops," helps Batronie distribute food, water and clothing. Homeless when he first met Batronie, Pops now has an apartment but continues to assist Batronie and other organizations that feed the homeless.

"I've always loved to help people," said Pops. "That's the way the world should be. It took me a long time to understand that. I've been jumped and robbed. But now I know I'm being called by God to do this. We have to take care of each other."

With the flagging economy, Batronie said he's had to prepare larger amounts of food to keep up with the growing homeless population.

"It used to be just men," he said. "Now I'm seeing a few families. But there are some success stories. There was a man who came to me in November who'd lost his job. His wife and child were in a shelter and he was living on the streets. He needed a pair of shoes so I got him some. He put on those shoes and went out and got a job.

"They come from all walks of life. A lot are vets, our nation's heroes. One man, Des, had a college degree and ran his own construction company, but lost everything when the economy tanked," said Batronie. "But I haven't seen Des for a year. He started his own limo service."

She gets upset when she recalls the stories of police harrassment the homeless share with her.

"There was one man we called Dirty Dan," said Batronie. "The Tampa police would take him to the county line and drop him off and leave him."

One homeless man, who would only give his first name, Mitch, said he frequently gets harrassed by police when sitting on public park benches just because he's wearing a backpack.

"They just look at the cover; they don't read the book," said Mitch. "I'm the nicest guy you've ever met in your life but I've had people cross the street to get away from me. If I was wearing a suit and tie, I'd never get harrassed."

Batronie herself has been threatened with arrest for feeding the homeless at local parks. She now has permission from the owner to feed in the parking lot at Franklin and Harrison streets.

Johnny Turner, who said he been living on the streets most of his life, has been coming to Batronie's feeding sites for eight years.

"She's an angel and not just because of her food," said Turner. "It's her personality, the way she treats you with respect and makes you feel welcome. She sincerely cares. And the food is really excellent. Plus, she comes with clothes and other things you need. And, if she doesn't have it what you need, she puts it on a list and brings it the next week. She is really a blessing."

Jennifer Lane was delighted to find that Batronie was serving her favorite dish, chicken alfredo, on New Year's Day. "She puts mushrooms in it. I just love mushrooms.

"She's just wonderful," said Lane of Batronie. "I love her."

Raised in Seffner, where she graduated from Armwood High School, Lane said she became homeless following a messy divorce and foray into drugs and alcohol.

"It's been tough living on the streets," she said. "I've been harrassed and have had all my stuff stolen. One time, the city did a sweep and took everybody's stuff."

Then, a year ago, she met Daryl Molphus, another homeless person. "Daryl's my Prince Charming, my knight in shining armor. He rescued me and got me off drugs and alcohol."

The two plan to marry this summer, and they've already settled on a dish for their wedding banquet.

"We want Jean to make chicken alfredo," she said.

How You Can Help

For anyone wanting to donate to St. Jude's Helping Hands Foundation, Batronie keeps a wish list on the foundation's website. Residents also can make donations through the website.

For information, contact Batronie at 813-684-3517, 813-233-6551 or by email at jean@stjudehelpinghand.com.