There’s a lot of wisdom behind the old adage, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” and soon the cleanliness will be going mobile. The vision behind going mobile is not just about being clean, it’s about feeling good about yourself according to Antonio Fernandez, the President and CEO of Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of San Antonio. The 18-foot long trailer, which will be equipped with two shower and bathroom stalls, and two washer and dryer combinations, is getting closer to being a reality in the Alamo city.
In a meeting with local authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Antonio Fernandez shared his two-year hope of bringing the mobile showers to the homeless in San Antonio. Knowing of the Church’s deep commitment to helping the plight of the homeless, the local authorities put a proposal together for Church leadership to consider. A resounding yes, and a check for the full cost to purchase the trailer and a truck was forthcoming. Area Seventy, Elder Carlos Villarreal, presented the check to Antonio and Catholic Charities on Tuesday afternoon.
For Antonio, it’s not just about getting the homeless clean physically, but also helping them take the first step to self-reliance. “We hope this will give … dignity and respect, it is about who you are as a human being.” Antonio’s vision of going to the people in need began to take shape a year ago when their food truck, hit the streets of San Antonio providing meals to the hungry and homeless.
Antonio expects that their mobile unit, which should arrive before Christmas, will be able to serve over 1,000 homeless people a year. The trailer will join with Catholic Charities’ food truck aptly named “Hope” as part of their Mobile Relief Unit. Together, they will spread just that – hope to those in need.