Father Joe’s Villages July 4th BBQ Gives Hope And Joy To The Homeless

Hundreds line up every year for “Father Joe’s” annual Fourth of July celebration in downtown San Diego. Moms, dads and kids gather amidst festive red, white and blue decorations and enjoy hot dogs, burgers and ice cream. There’s patriotic music and an atmosphere of joy. But what makes this celebration truly special is that all the attendees are people struggling with homelessness.

Feeding bellies and souls

From the day he arrived at St. Vincent De Paul Parish in San Diego in 1982, Father Joe Carroll believed his duties extended beyond preaching to the congregation sitting in the church pews. He would go out into the community and talk to people, from single mothers struggling to feed and clothe their kids to the homeless. I need to do something to help them, his heart would tell him.

When the opportunity arose, Father Joe took over as director of the St. Vincent De Paul Center, a combination thrift store and soup kitchen, that had been operating for decades. In the coming years, he grew the program into a nonprofit called Father Joe’s Villages, which provides food, shelter, medical services and more to people experiencing homelessness. What once operated out of one small chapel now has many sites that house more than 2,000 people a night.

Father Joe became legendary for his compassion. He treated everyone who visited his villages with respect. As a man who loved to eat, mealtime was especially important to him. Giving people the opportunity to sit together and have a nutritious meal, he believed, not only provides a sense of normalcy but dignity.

With that in mind, Father Joe began hosting special holiday meals for the homeless in the community — including one for Independence Day. Father Joe — who died at age 80 in 2021 — would always attend and mingle with his neighbors in need, wanting them to know that someone cares.

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Changing lives

The Independence Day celebration, like all Father Joe’s meals, begins with a prayer. Then, it’s like any other Fourth of July barbecue. People chat, laugh and eat. And for a brief time, they forget about the misery and stress of living without a home.

Ruth Bruland, chief program officer for Father Joe’s Villages, feels moved when she sees so many people who live very difficult lives relaxing, eating and enjoying themselves — and knowing what it feels like to have a full stomach.

“Thanks so much for making us feel welcome,” people tell staff and volunteers.

Ruth calls the Independence Day celebration “a tremendous event that has so much meaning. Every single person who comes to that meal, no matter how young or old, is somebody’s kid,” she says. “We need to remember that. They’re not clients; they’re our neighbors. We want to remind people they are loved and cared about.” And that can be life-changing, she says.

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As they are treated with respect, people come to realize, Oh wow I’ve forgotten it can be like this. And maybe they join one of Father Joe’s programs that provide education, vocational training and help with employment and housing.

Amber Lucky — mom of Aaliyah, 5, and Liberty, 3 — calls Father Joe’s a godsend. She struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and her husband, Billy, died in 2021, leaving her and their kids without income. Now, thanks to help from Father Joe’s, Amber has been sober for three years and is living with her girls in a San Diego townhouse.

Amber has attended many special meals at Father Joe’s, including Fourth of July.

“I feel bad a lot of times that I don’t have a big family for my kids to be able to visit… but you go to these meals, and they make it so beautiful and special that you don’t feel like you’re left out of anything. You can really feel the love in the air.”

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