For the past 20 years, Dee and Steve Perez have been a steady presence at the St. Elizabeth of Hungary sandwich line in Denver. Multiple times a week, they prepare and hand out meals to the homeless, embodying a quiet, steadfast commitment to service. Now, as they step away from their regular volunteer duties, they leave behind not just a legacy of generosity, but a community deeply touched by their kindness.
Their journey to St. Elizabeth’s was not a straight line but a full circle. For Dee, the church holds childhood memories of sisters answering the bell to hand out food to those in need. Her parents were also part of the legacy of service, taking in women who had nowhere else to go. When she and Steve returned decades later in 1993, they found a mission that resonated with their hearts.
“St. Elizabeth’s was way ahead of its time,” Dee said. “It was a welcoming, thriving community.”
For Steve, the connection to service was personal. His parents, both immigrants from Mexico, had faced hardship, and for a time, he and his mother experienced homelessness.
“I could identify with these men,” he said. “Maybe it wasn’t altruistic or even about faith. It just felt like the right thing to do. For me, it comes down to Christ speaking in the Gospel about ‘What you did for the least of my people you did for me.’”
“We don’t actually know how long it’s been a formal lunch line, but we think the tradition started at least during the Depression in the 1930s. We know at that time the campus was a Hispanic neighborhood, and the church and school were a Franciscan friary,” Steve explained, recalling that men “riding the rails” would stop in for a meal. Back then, the sisters would rush out at the sound of a bell, offering sandwiches and a little bit of hope.
Years later, the couple’s work at the sandwich line started small but grew into something much bigger. Steve was the first to volunteer, but one day, when they were short-handed, he “dragged Dee in to help out.” She never left.
Over the next 20 years, they built relationships not only with those they served but also with the many donors and volunteers who support the effort. Dee became the heart of the operation, organizing donations and sourcing supplies — sometimes from unlikely places, like airline catering leftovers or discount stores selling bulk socks and underwear.
“We met so many giving people, and it’s been so amazing the connections we’ve made,” she reflected. “It’s been a God thing, how it all started and how we’ve gotten here.”
As they worked together to serve the sandwich line patrons, they found themselves strengthening their bond as a couple.
“It brought us closer,” Steve said. “Sometimes I thought she was doing too much, but I couldn’t let her do it alone,” he joked.
After more than two decades of service, the decision to step back was not easy.
“The lunch line still tugs at my heart,” Dee admitted. Though they won’t be there every week, they will continue to support the mission behind the scenes. “There are so many people who rely on us, and we’ll still help where we can.”
For Steve, stepping away feels more natural.
“I was getting tired,” he shared. “People say I’m irreplaceable, but graveyards are full of irreplaceable people.”
Now, the couple looks forward to spending more time visiting their grandchildren, an opportunity they cherish after years of long-distance grandparenting.
Their story is not one of grand gestures or dramatic sacrifice. It is something quieter but just as profound: two people who saw a need, stepped in and stayed for 20 years, living out the Gospel message: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me,” (Matthew 25:40).
In recognition of their humble service over many years, Dee and Steve have been recognized as this month’s Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal Disciples of the Month. Their love for their neighbors serves as an inspiring testament to Christ’s own love for his people.
Congratulations, Dee and Steve, for being named the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal Disciples of the Month!
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Do you know someone who is an exceptional steward? Nominate them here, and they could become the next Disciple of the Month! For more information about volunteering with St. Elizabeth’s daily sandwich line, click here.
