The Sandwich Man of Staten Island
Illustration★★★★MINISTRY The Sandwich Man leaves his home in the Eltingville sec- tion of Staten Island, New York, at about 5:10 a.m. By 5:40 he is making his rounds of the card-board condos—the car- tons and scraps of wood that are shelters for the homeless near City Hall. He is carrying two shopping bags filled with sandwiches, and as the men and women spot him, they call out, “Hey, sandwich man!” Christian Witness 53 Within minutes, Mike Christiano has given each person two sandwiches, usually bologna or American cheese.
Only then does Mike start his workday as an administrator for the city’s Emergency Medical Service. He says he started his sandwich service by accident. “I was a court officer in Brooklyn, and I used to see this guy on the street with a white beard and long white hair. “One day, I said, ‘Why don’t you come in and clean up?’
When he came out of the shower, he looked like he was ready for first Communion. I thought, If I can do that for him, I can do anything.” That was 15 years ago. Now, Mike and a group of volunteers make up to 200 sandwiches each week night.
Why does he do it? Ask Mike and he will answer, simply, and humbly, “I know God wants me to do more.”
The point
Mike Christiano, 'The Sandwich Man,' serves 200+ sandwiches weekly to homeless near NYC City Hall, inspired by one act of kindness. He wakes before dawn and believes God is calling him to do even more.