The drive from Middletown to Wilmington takes less than an hour, but for the St. Andrew’s students who make regular food deliveries to Epiphany House, the journey is a bridge between two worlds.

Epiphany House is a transitional shelter for unhoused women, providing not just temporary housing but also a structured program that guides residents toward independent living. For years, St. Andrew’s has enjoyed a partnership with the Episcopal-affiliated organization, with students regularly delivering meals to residents. The meals are prepared in the St. Andrew’s Dining Hall and packaged for transport, but students don’t simply drop them off and leave. They stay to have dinner and spend time with the women who live in the home. 

Kayley Rivera ’26 first arrived at Epiphany House with preconceived notions shaped by “media portrayals” of food service. “I didn’t exactly know what to expect, I just knew we were ‘taking a meal,’” Rivera recalls. “My mind went to movie scenes with food banks with big assembly lines.”

Instead, Rivera found herself seated at a dining room table and sharing a meal with residents. The conversation flowed from discussions about St. Andrew’s to personal hopes and dreams.

The similarities to St. Andrew’s own dining traditions, where students gather multiple times a week to share a meal, didn’t go unnoticed. “We shared the meal family style, and said grace together,” Rivera says. “It was like a sisterhood. [The residents] were excited to welcome us and for us to share our lives.” The experience, Rivera says,  has altered how she understands homelessness. 

Dr. Pamela Pears, a faculty member who regularly accompanies students on these visits, emphasizes that the partnership serves St. Andrew’s broader educational mission by taking students “out of our bubble.”

One of the most striking aspects of this partnership is how it challenges traditional notions of who benefits from charitable work, she says. “We get more out of it than I think the people we’re serving,” says Pears.

As an example, she points to arriving at Epiphany House after a difficult week, only to find her mood transformed by simple conversations with residents. “I go in and I sit there with those women and just talk about, I don’t know, Bath & Body Works, and it warms my heart,” she says.

This mutual enrichment reflects the partnership’s success in creating genuine human connections rather than surface-level exchanges. St. Andrew’s students aren’t merely performing a service; both the students and the women at Epiphany House are active participants in meaningful connections that benefit everyone involved.

For students interested in serving, Pears emphasizes the accessibility of the commitment. “All you have to do is have a couple of hours free,” she says. Yet the impact extends far beyond the time invested, she notes.

“I would encourage students to get involved with community service at St. Andrew’s,” Rivera says. She says her experience at Epiphany House exemplifies how stepping outside familiar environments can offer invaluable lessons on gratitude, privilege, and relationships.

The partnership between St. Andrew’s and Epiphany House creates space for authentic relationships to develop across social and economic divides, challenging students to expand their understanding of both their community and themselves—one conversation at a time.