Posted July 15, 2025
When Lynne Hannibal started volunteering in her early twenties at St. Raphael Parish in Bay Village, she had a big goal: “I wanted to fix homelessness,” she said.
Now as a volunteer at the Bishop William M. Cosgrove Center, she laughs when she reflects on her ambition: “I can smile about that now!”
Lynne is a volunteer with the Social Action Ministry (SAM) at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. The group’s vision was set nearly 40 years ago by Sister Marian Durkin, CSA, a Catholic sister driven by a call to serve and support those most in need in the surrounding community. With Sister Marian’s partnership, Lynne and a dozen other Cathedral parishioners make up the SAM group.
Ministry has been an important part of Lynne’s faith throughout her life. When she and her husband Michael became parishioners at the Cathedral in downtown Cleveland seven years ago, they joined the ministry right away.
“To be part of the community of the church is very important to me,” she says. “It means reaching beyond the parish and living out our Catholic tenet of caring for those less fortunate.”
Since the ministry’s beginning, the members have supported the Cosgrove Center, a ministry of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland that serves individuals experiencing poverty and housing instability. The Cosgrove Center provides hot meals, clothing and toiletries, a food pantry and community programming and is a hub for housing support and coordinated entry.
“The quiet and consistent support of the SAM group has helped sustain vital programs like our clothing closet,” said Terrel Valentine, program director at the Cosgrove Center. “They have reinforced a sense of community for those we serve.”
The clothing “closet” – actually a large repurposed school gymnasium – is stocked with toiletries and clothing for clients, who are able to visit the closet on Fridays.
At first, Lynne said she felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of hands-on work it took to organize closet donations and support the needs of the guests.
“When I first started volunteering at Cosgrove, I felt so frustrated; there is always more to do,” she said. “But you learn to manage the recurring cycle of activities.”
Through the Cathedral’s monthly personal items collection (PIC), the SAM group purchases supplies to ensure guests have what they need. Favorite items of the Cosgrove guests are backpacks, jeans and belts, along with moisturizer, lip balm and cough drops. Lynne assigns shoppers to buy what needs restocking.
She also established the First Thursday Closet Project, which provides a consistent time window for volunteers to work on the closet. For two hours on the first Thursday of each month, a small group of volunteers come together to sort donations; organize clothing and shoes; fill tubs with toiletries and underwear and socks and any additional projects to make the closet ready for clients to visit on Friday.
“We are a small but mighty group,” Lynne said. “I am so grateful for the volunteers that come to help at the closet each month. It’s amazing how much we can get done in just those two hours together.”
Though their time volunteering for the closet is productive, the SAM group doesn’t often interact directly with clients. To create a space for more connection, they arranged to sponsor and serve an annual luncheon to the guests. After several years hosting the luncheon for Easter, they shifted the date to June 19 to honor the Juneteenth holiday.
“We are honored that the SAM group continues to walk beside us, embracing Juneteenth with incredible thoughtfulness, generosity and heart,” said Terrel.
This year was the second the group served a Juneteenth luncheon – outfitting the dining hall with decorations, setting up a buffet line of soul food cooked by Cosgrove staff, and organizing a “joy table” full of activity books, art supplies and candy for guests to take with them.
Lynne said the time she spends at Cosgrove is both inspiring and humbling.
“I have come to an understanding with myself,” she said. “I can’t fix this problem, but I can be a part of helping. That’s the message from God, for me: Don’t try to fix everything. If you can help even just one person, that is the blessing.”
Part of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
