How volunteering at a church changed a Bronx man’s life

Thomas Perry, program director of Cathedral Community Cares (CCC) at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.
Thomas Perry, program director of Cathedral Community Cares (CCC) at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.
Photo courtesy Thomas Perry

Thomas Perry never considered the church a big part of his life. But about 25 years ago, everything changed when he began volunteering at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.

Perry, 53, of University Heights, is the program director of Cathedral Community Cares (CCC) at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, whose mission is to combat and alleviate poverty through preventative poverty services, education and advocacy – specifically targeting the issues of health and hunger.

His journey to success did not happen overnight. Perry first started as a volunteer washing dishes and now oversees the staff and all of its philanthropy programming from the Sunday Soup Kitchen, free food pantry, clothing closet, education and advocacy and more. On average, he usually works at the Cathedral six days a week.

“They say we aren’t here too long, so I just want to do what I can to make a difference,” Perry told the Bronx Times. “I was getting older and didn’t really go to church often. It’s kind of weird how it worked out.”

Surrounded by guns shots and drugs, Perry was raised in Fordham and Manhattan. However, his parents always kept him safe and on the right path. His mom, Rachel Perry, who was a Baptist, sent Perry to Sunday school at church until he was 14.

Perry was working at the Gap and attending City College when suddenly “life got real” and he had a daughter, Sabrina.

He dropped out of college and his focus was on providing a good life for Sabrina and his younger daughter Vanessa,. In his late 20s, perry moved to East Harlem. Without a college degree and in a rough area, things were not easy, he said.

“There was no quiet time,” Perry said. “There was music and partying all the time. It didn’t matter what day it was.”

He knew the Gap would not pay the bills, but fortunately, things began to work in his favor.

‘The church was very supportive’

A friend of his, George, volunteered at Saint John the Divine and suggested Perry come. Perry had never done anything like this before. So, he gave it the old college try and the rest is history.

“I didn’t know what my job assignment was,” Perry said. “I was washing dishes and shooting the breeze with other volunteers. It was peaceful.”

Perry loved the experience of giving back and began coming every other Sunday. After a while the director of CCC, Raquel Granda, introduced herself.

Granda asked Perry if he knew of anyone that was interested in cooking and he immediately gave her his resume. Perry’s passion for working in the kitchen was passed onto him from his mom who hailed from Mississippi.

“My mother and grandmother really did own southern cooking,” Perry said.

Thomas Perry, program director of Cathedral Community Cares (CCC) at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.Photo courtesy Thomas Perry

To refine his craft, the church sent Perry to a culinary school. In 2008, he became the cook at CCC and a year later obtained his culinary certificate. Perry worked five days, but often came in on his days off to prep.

Sunday was the highlight of his week as the church fed between 400 to 500 people. Being able to cook and give back was a dream come true, Perry said.

“Some people don’t want to be helped, but they need it,” he said. “The church was very supportive.”

As head chef Perry could not have been happier. He was not a wealthy man, but was able to provide for his daughters and feed thousands each week.

Perry’s hard work as head chef did not go unnoticed. In 2018, he became the program director at CCC.

“At the end of the day, we do community service and it’s how you help individuals in need,” he said.

COVID-19 setback

Two years into his tenure as program director COVID-19 wreaked havoc on New York City. Suddenly, the need to feed and give back was needed more than ever.

With just a small staff of three people and volunteers, COVID-19 was crazy, he said. The food distribution was outdoors, volunteers had to stay six feet apart and many volunteers and clients passed away.

“During COVID it was kind of scary because no one knew what it was,” Perry said. “I think the scariest part was taking the train and there was no one on it.”

But like all of New York, the CCC persevered and is still giving back.

Some other programs Perry is in charge of include providing clothing to people, free haircuts, connecting people with social workers, helping people prepare for job interviews and much more.

In 2015, Perry returned home to the Bronx and relocated to University Heights.

“I love that area,” he said. “There are so many quiet areas of the Bronx that people don’t know about.”

‘We need more’

Looking back, Perry credits a lot of his success to his late mom and father. While his dad, Thomas Perry Sr., died in the line of duty when Perry was 9, he knows his work ethic and drive were instilled in him. His mom taught him the importance of giving back.

“Her thing was at the end of the day you need to take care of people that can’t take care of each other,” Perry said.

Being involved with the church for more than two decades is something Perry never envisioned for himself, but couldn’t picture himself doing anything else.

“The problem we have right now is the mentally ill and we need to address that,” he said. “We need more services that can help them.”

The job can also be emotionally draining, he said. Figuring out how to help all the people that are struggling is always a challenge, Perry said.

“How do we get more money to help people?” he said. “When I was a cook, I didn’t think of stuff like that. But now as a director, we need more money.”