Matthew Pendergast Serves Urban Poor

MANCHESTER, NH (02/21/2012)(readMedia)-- Matthew Pendergast, a senior peace and justice major at Saint Anselm College, spent his winter break in Washington, D.C. volunteering at various soup kitchens, food pantries, and shelters in the area.

Pendergast led a group of 14 students from Saint Anselm who volunteered at Thrive DC, a soup kitchen and women's shelter that provides safety for people facing economic crisis and housing instability, and a step toward independence for those experiencing extended periods of homelessness.

"The feeling and act of service, going to another place and experiencing a different culture and population is something you really can't describe," said Pendergast.

Pendergast and his group are a part of Saint Anselm College's Service & Solidarity Missions program. The program consists of student-led service trips overseen by Campus Ministry during winter, spring, and summer breaks. Now in its 22nd year, Service and Solidarity Missions will send 216 students on 16 trips in 10 states, and to Washington, D.C., Costa Rica, and Honduras throughout the year.

Pendergast, who has now participated in three of the student-led service trips, will continue his volunteer work at Navajo Nation in Arizona over his upcoming spring break and at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota this summer.