St. Margaret’s House has been changing women’s lives in downtown South Bend for more than three decades. Three years ago they launched a storytelling event aimed at sharing some of that magic with the public, and they hope you’ll come listen Thursday night.
A Common Thread, now in its third year, weaves first-person accounts from St. Margaret’s House guests, volunteers and staff, speaking from the heart about what the organization has meant to them. The first two years it happened at Indiana University South Bend.
This year, A Common Thread moves to the DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts at Notre Dame.
Organizing it all has been Angela Blake, assistant director of guest services at St. Margaret’s House. The nonprofit, founded in 1990, operates a day center for women at 117 N. Lafayette Boulevard. It offers women living in poverty a safe place to get lunch, rest, do laundry, and receive help navigating resources.
Blake says it began as a conversation she had with St. Margaret’s House Marketing Director Cathy Hall, as they brainstormed ideas to re-introduce themselves to the community in 2022 after having shut down during Covid.
"We said rather than have us present it for people or through our own lens, it's very important for people to have their own voices heard, so we thought yeah, let's have people get up and tell their stories about connection," Blake said.
Since Covid, St. Margaret’s House has seen more women needing help, especially with rising housing and food costs.
"So trying to make sure that a woman, if her lease is up and they need to sign or renew a lease, they're looking at a $200, $300, $400 increase month to month on their rent and they can't afford that. So it's just trying to come up with resources on how they can fill that gap. In the mean time wages are kind of staying the same."
But as critical as food, shelter and figuring out Medicaid are, St. Margaret’s House is about much more. Women, often victims of past abuse, find emotional support and friendship. They find other women who listen to their stories and believe them. They find laughs and tears.
Hall, the marketing director, says women also are allowed to pick from free clothing that’s been donated.
"We try to set up our clothes closet like a boutique because we want this to be a dignified experience that a woman can come here and shop," Hall said. "But of course nothing costs any money but that they can come and select 20 items a month. We try to have a variety of things. We have children's clothing over here. Towels and sheets and blankets always just fly off the wall, for sure."
Guests also can step into an art studio and learn to express themselves. Art has been proven to help people heal from trauma. In the studio, they receive guidance from Teresa Anderson, herself a guest. Anderson helps run a program in which guests paint silk scarves. The scarves are sold, at events like Art Beat, with St. Margaret’s House and the artist splitting the proceeds.
"One of the heartbeats of this place is this art studio," Anderson said. "Nobody is prohibited from being up here, period, but if you're going to work with the silk, you've got to take the classes and proceed with that program."
Anderson says she sees the art give women hope.
"There's a tireless, never-ending cycle of helping here," Anderson said. "Sometimes you just need to sit in a quiet place and color. Or you need to work on a piece of art. If they can't work on the silk, we have crochet supplies, we have coloring supplies, we have watercolor supplies, name it, we've got it. The community's been very generous at donating things. This is a place that helps with tranquility as well as doing other things."
Hall says staff and volunteers see some incredible stories unfold every day at St. Margaret’s House. They conceived A Common Thread in an effort to give the community a feel for what they see.
They let WVPE News come in for lunch on a recent weekday. They serve 80 to 100 women a day, hot fresh meals of donated food prepared by volunteers. Before they line up for food and say a prayer, the women hear announcements from a staff member.
Perhaps the biggest cheerleader for St. Margaret’s House is guest Ruth Clark, who has suffered multiple strokes. She’s been coming for about 15 years and she never misses a day.
"You might not have a home out there, or you might have a home in another state or wherever, but when you come in these doors," Clark said, "take off your coat, sit back and relax. You're at home."