More than 800 homeless and residents of St. Vincent de Paul Village, a homeless shelter in downtown San Diego, were treated to breakfast Christmas morning thanks in part to 15 Sailors from USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). The Sailors set up, helped prepare and served a meal of eggs, sausage, hash browns and bread rolls.

St. Vincent de Paul Village, located in downtown San Diego houses people in job training programs and provides meals for more than 500 homeless people every day.

“The Stennis Sailors were awesome,” said Jenny Mayer, volunteer coordinator for Residential and Social Services at St. Vincent. “By the time I arrived Christmas morning, they had started preparing the meal and already had the dining room set up.

“It is so important for the residents to know that people care enough about them to take time out of their busy lives to volunteer,” said Mayer. “It makes their holidays brighter and a little less lonely to see the smiling faces of so many people Christmas morning.”

Sailors expressed the importance of sharing a positive attitude on Christmas day.

“I really wanted to help people out,” said Aviation Electronics Technician (AW/SW) 1st Class Phil Jones, Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department’s Shop 5 Leading Petty Officer. “I personally know a lot of people that are misfortunate. That could be me. It’s important to remember how fortunate we are and to be willing to help your fellow man.”

“It felt good to do something good for someone else,” said Yeoman (AW) 1st Class Tennille M. Hairston. “It wasn’t about us. It was about making someone else’s day special.

Volunteering can help lead to the success of programs such as St. Vincent’s.

After someone becomes a resident at St. Vincent’s, they begin a short program where they have to complete a series of tasks within the first 10 days, such as getting a tuberculosis test, attending an orientation and filling out paperwork,” said Mayer. After completing the short program, the resident can decide to enter the long-term program to help make a transition into the workforce.

“Having the Sailors volunteer reminds the residents that no matter what the situation they are in, there are always things to be thankful for,” said Mayer.  “The residents and staff greatly appreciate all the Stennis Sailors do everyday and especially Christmas morning.”

Giving up their time on Christmas day didn’t go without rewards for the Sailors.

“We could see the expressions on the residents face,” said Hairston. “They were very happy with what we were doing for them. It made their day and felt great for us.”

“This was my first time participating in a community relations project like this, but I look forward to doing more projects like this in the future,” said Hairston. “I’ll probably do this every year now. When I have a family, I’ll take them to do this with me to show them how we’re blessed and how we need to spread our blessings amongst others.”

Jones shared Hairston’s sentiment about teaching families to spread good fortunes.

“I want to teach my children to do these kind of things,” said Jones. “I want them to realize that Christmas isn’t all about them. It’s about helping other people.”