Claire Stone Builds Community Through Service
Volunteer and community advocate Claire found a sense of belonging at St. Joseph Center’s Bread & Roses Café. Now, through her service and leadership, she is helping inspire the next generation of volunteers and supporters while strengthening the community one meal at a time.
On a quiet Monday morning in Venice, a line forms outside St. Joseph Center’s Bread & Roses Café well before the doors open. Some guests clutch backpacks while others bundle in their coats. Before service, Chef James offers his usual reminder: “Our guests don’t have to be homeless, they just have to be hungry.” Inside, the Monday Crew moves with purpose, their laughter rising above the low hums of ’70s and ’80s rock and roll. It is the heartbeat of the Café—community built one Monday at a time. Among them is Claire, a familiar face to over one million followers online, who quietly begins her mornings by rolling silverware and preparing tables. These are the small acts that help the team serve every meal with dignity.
A Heart for Community
Claire’s dedication to service dates back to high school when she founded a club that collaborated with local organizations and provided her classmates with a platform to engage with their community. After moving to Los Angeles, she was eager to find that same connection. She recalls, “I heard about St. Joseph Center and Bread & Roses Café when I moved to the Westside. I was looking for a regular volunteer opportunity, and I was thrilled to stumble upon Bread & Roses Café. It’s become such a big part of my life.”
Claire has always championed service work, and her online presence grew organically through authenticity. Last year, during the Palisades fire, her posts took on a new purpose after she partnered with a grassroots response group. Through her platform, she connected those affected by the fires with urgent aid. For Claire, sharing her community service work is about mobilizing help and amplifying stories from the front lines of support.
“The easiest thing to do is start small and go big.”
Leading the Next Generation
This month, Claire is taking her commitment a step further by co-hosting a friendraiser for St. Joseph Center. She is stepping into a vital leadership role for Next Gen advocates and givers, showing other young adults how to leverage their networks for local impact.
The impact of young adults and families serves as a powerful reminder that service is often a shared journey. Seeing Claire work alongside her mom, dad, and brother at the Café highlights how generations can come together to strengthen the community. When families volunteer together, they create a legacy of compassion that extends far beyond a single morning shift.
More than a Meal: The Heart of Bread & Roses Café
Bread & Roses Café, a vital part of St. Joseph Center’s holistic approach, is successful in its fight against hunger thanks to the dedication of volunteers. The Café provided more than 46,000 hot, nutritious meals to unhoused individuals last year alone. Unlike traditional soup kitchens, Bread & Roses Café offers a restaurant-style dining experience, treating guests with respect. This dignity, combined with connections to support services, addresses immediate needs while building long-term stability.
Programs like Bread & Roses Café are essential. Vulnerable communities were hit hard by benefit cuts during the October 2025 federal government shutdown. Some households received roughly half their usual monthly benefits, exacerbating an already dire situation. According to officials at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, nearly one in four County residents struggles with food insecurity. This crisis has only intensified with the rising cost of living and stagnant wages.
Small Acts, Big Impact
When asked how small, local efforts make a difference when the problem feels so big, Claire said, “The easiest thing to do is start small and go big. When there is no care and compassion at a federal level, that’s where the community has to step in to support one another.” Programs like Bread & Roses Café are not just about providing sustenance. They offer a sense of community, belonging, and hope for those facing daily challenges.
Thanks to Claire, the Monday Crew, and the next generation of givers, Bread & Roses Café remains a place where hope reaches the community. It ensures everyone is seen, heard, and reminded that compassion still ripples through the crisis, one meal and one Monday at a time.
Note: This post has been edited for length, clarity, and narrative flow.
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