Larry Purcell founded the Catholic Worker House of Redwood City in 1975 to serve the needs of the very poor, basing the program on the Catholic Worker model: No one is paid to work, and no one is charged for services.
“Bill Somerville’s instincts for serving the poor come from years of work, work conducted out of the office and in the community, I have yet to go to a program that is up and running for the poor that PVF staff haven’t already visited. Site visits by anyone from a foundation are rare, particularly in our area of work. For PVF, grantmaking grows out of being with and responding to the poor, and I see PVF not as a funder, but as a co-worker and partner.” – Larry Purcell
PVF, a supporter of Larry Purcell’s outstanding work for more than 20 years, frequently visits Catholic Worker House programs and observes Larry’s outstanding vision, dedication and service. In this long-term partnership, PVF and Catholic Worker House work together on new strategies to serve the homeless, the hungry and the poor, and navigate funding issues and opportunities. PVF is grateful for the opportunity to support the outstanding work of Larry and the Catholic Worker House.