Meet Illiya

Written by a Staff Member at SVdP:

I met Illiya earlier this week in SVdP’s Georgetown Food Bank where he was volunteering. He was wearing a wool Seahawks hat and a big smile. The next time I saw Illiya was this morning on my way to work when standing on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Michigan. He was still wearing his Seahawks hat, but his smile had faded. Illiya is homeless and has been on and off since the age of fourteen.

Illiya has been coming to SVdP’s Georgetown Food Bank as a client for more than a year and recently started spending his days here as a volunteer. He is currently out of work so he decided to volunteer in the Food Bank to gain workplace experience.  He is a high school graduate and a carpenter by trade, but can no longer work in that field due to chronic pain following a spinal cord injury.

Illiya graciously shared his story with me today before the Food Bank opened for its Friday Homeless Outreach Program. The aim of the Homeless Outreach Program is to address the hunger issues among our homeless guests, who often struggle to make their limit food supply last through the weekend, as well as provide other services to meet their basic needs. Currently, we are providing food, warm, winter clothing, and personal hygiene items. Today, Illiya and our other volunteers served 45 homeless people.

Illiya explained that he enjoys volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul because, “You can tell the people working here really care about helping people. St. Vincent de Paul is giving me a hand up, not a hand out.”