Saint Francis Seraph Ministries

What Saint Francis Seraph Ministries does

Saint Francis Seraph Ministries (SFSM) is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit religious ministry, sponsored by the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe of the Order of Friars Minor, that has served the homeless and working poor in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood for more than 175 years. The organization operates from the St. Anthony Center at 1615 Republic Street and delivers a portfolio of free, in-person social services: the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Dining Room (daily breakfast and dinner, Monday through Friday), the Bag Lunch Program, the Foot Care for the Souls clinic (nurse practitioner-led podiatry), and the Sarah Center, which offers sewing, quilting, and jewelry-making vocational training including the #Stitched# and #Stitched# 2.0 industrial-sewing programs. SFSM also serves as Cincinnati's designated emergency daytime warming shelter when temperatures fall to 15 degrees or below.

SFSM is not technology-focused and has no disclosed digital products or proprietary platforms; service delivery is fundamentally human-staffed and volunteer-supported, with 13,750 volunteer hours contributed annually (valued at $412,000). The organization co-locates with multiple complementary nonprofit partners at the St. Anthony Center, including the Center for Respite Care, Mary Magdalen House, Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services, Welcome Home Collaborative, and Haircuts from the Heart, forming an integrated service hub.

The revenue model is donation- and grant-driven with all services provided free to guests. Funding sources include individual donations, foundation grants (e.g., Charles H. Dater Foundation), recurring faith-community contributions (sandwich programs, food/supplies drives from multiple Cincinnati parishes and a synagogue), and a new municipal partnership with the City of Cincinnati for warming-shelter operations. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Mary Pat Raupach, with a refreshed senior team recruited in 2024 across development, finance, volunteer coordination, and chaplaincy functions.

Name

Saint Francis Seraph Ministries

Legal name

St. Francis Seraph Ministries

Website

https://sfsministries.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1844

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Saint Francis Seraph Ministries is a Cincinnati-based Franciscan nonprofit serving the homeless and working poor through daily meals, foot care, vocational sewing training, and emergency winter warming shelter services at the St. Anthony Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services (Homeless and Poverty Services)

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Temporary Shelters (624221), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

Keywords

• Homeless services
• Soup kitchen
• Emergency shelter
• Vocational training
• Humanitarian aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization relies on donations from individuals, families, and organizations to fund its operations. Visitors can donate through the website.
2. Foundation Grants: The organization receives grants from foundations such as the Charles H. Dater Foundation to expand and enhance programs like the Sarah Center's sewing and jewelry-making classes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Saint Francis Seraph Ministries is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit ministry that provides free meals, foot care, vocational sewing training, and emergency overnight warming shelter to people experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty in the urban core. Its programs include the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Dining Room serving hot meals daily, a Bag Lunch Program for take-away food, Foot Care for the Souls for hygiene and basic medical foot care, the Sarah Center for vocational training in sewing and textile work, and an Emergency Daytime Warming Shelter.

Product overview

Saint Francis Seraph Ministries operates as a unified social services ministry offering a portfolio of interconnected programs centered on nourishing and nurturing people in need. The core offering is the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Dining Room, which serves hot breakfast and dinner meals. Supporting services include the Bag Lunch Program for portable meals and Foot Care for the Souls healthcare clinic. The Sarah Center provides vocational training through sewing and jewelry-making classes, including the #Stitched# and #Stitched# 2.0 programs. During winter months, the organization operates an Emergency Daytime Warming Shelter. Together, these programs address immediate physical needs while empowering guests toward long-term stability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mother Teresa of Calcutta Dining Room: The main dining room where hot meals are served to guests
• The Sarah Center
• Foot Care for the Souls
• Bag Lunch Program
• Emergency Daytime Warming Shelter

Products and services

• Mother Teresa of Calcutta Dining Room A daily soup-kitchen program that serves hot meals to individuals experiencing homelessness and food insecurity in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.
• Bag Lunch Program A program that prepares and distributes bagged lunches so guests can take food with them for later consumption.
• Foot Care for the Souls A foot-care service providing hygiene and basic medical attention to feet for homeless guests, addressing a critical unmet health and hygiene need.
• Sarah Center A vocational training program that teaches sewing and textile skills and distributes refurbished sewing machines, enabling participants to build income-generating skills.
• Emergency Daytime Warming Shelter An emergency warming shelter providing overnight refuge with capacity for up to 75 guests during cold-weather months, addressing exposure risk for homeless individuals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 900+ guests served annually, 87,000 meals provided, 13,750 volunteer hours contributed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered important, core and minor.

• City of CincinnatiimportantOthers · 1 January 2025City asked SFSM to serve as the emergency daytime warming shelter when temperatures are 15 degrees or below, operating from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. A typical day draws 150-200 guests.
• University of Cincinnati College of MedicineimportantOthers · 1 January 2024Partnership with UC's Physician & Society service-learning course where first-year medical students learn about social and economic factors affecting health by working with SFSM guests. A cohort of 12 students participates.
• DePaul Cristo ReyimportantOthers · 1 January 2018Corporate Work Study Program partnership where students work at SFSM 4-5 days per month to learn real-world skills while supporting the mission. Students assist with the Bag Lunch Program, Foot Care for the Souls space preparation, and general office work.
• St. Ignatius of Loyola ChurchimportantOthers · 1 January 2017Parish's Project 5000 collects items during Holy Week and delivers about 400 bags of food, hygiene items, paper products, and cleaning supplies annually to SFSM since 2017.
• St. Susanna Parish (Peanut Butter Ministry)importantOthers · 1 January 1987Provides over 39,000 sandwiches annually (750 PB&Js per week) to SFSM guests, with 700 oz peanut butter, 500 oz jelly, and 65 loaves of bread used weekly.
• Center for Respite CarecoreOthersPartner organization at St. Anthony Center offering 24/7 medical recovery services and convalescent care for the homeless. A written medical referral is required for admission.
• Haircuts from the Heart (Franciscan Ministries)coreOthersProvides haircuts and grooming services from their salon in the lobby of the Mary Magdalen House at the St. Anthony Center.
• Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health ServicescoreOthersPartner offering mental health and addiction services with licensed mental health professionals at the St. Anthony Center.
• Mary Magdalen HousecoreOthersProvides showers, laundry service, phone charging and a mailing address for anyone in need at the St. Anthony Center.
• Welcome Home CollaborativecoreOthersOffers homeless individuals a transition into housing through job skills and training by remodeling vacant houses and distressed properties.
• Common Thread (St. Catharine of Siena Church)minorOthersSewing group at St. Catharine of Siena Church in Westwood that donated vintage sewing machines to the Sarah Center.
• Isaac M. Wise TempleimportantOthersVolunteers serve Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for guests annually for over a decade. About 15-20 people volunteer for each meal, with a rabbi attending alongside Franciscan friars.
• La Salle High School (Souper Lancers)minorOthersClass of 1966 alumni gather monthly to serve dinner at SFSM, continuing a tradition formed several years ago.
• St. Xavier High SchoolminorOthersStudents volunteer in the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Dining Room during mission trips, supporting SFSM's work and learning about community service.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• City Gospel Mission: Cincinnati faith-based nonprofit providing meals, shelter, recovery programs, and youth services to people facing poverty and homelessness. Direct peer with overlapping meal service, faith-based framing, and homeless guest population.
• Cincinnati Works: Greater Cincinnati nonprofit focused on helping low-income individuals achieve economic self-sufficiency through employment coaching. Direct peer serving the same Over-the-Rhine-adjacent population with complementary economic-mobility programming.
• Center for Respite Care: Co-located partner at St. Anthony Center providing 24/7 medical recovery and convalescent care for the homeless with a medical-referral requirement. Direct peer operating out of the same facility with a tightly integrated service population.
• Mary Magdalen House: Co-located partner at St. Anthony Center providing showers, laundry, phone, and mailing services for the homeless. Direct service-line peer operating out of the same building with shared guest base.
• St. Vincent de Paul Cincinnati: Cincinnati-area Catholic nonprofit providing food, housing, and emergency assistance to the poor. Direct peer in faith-based social services with overlapping donor base, parish network, and service population in the same metro.
• Shelterhouse (Cincinnati): Greater Cincinnati homeless services organization operating emergency shelters and supportive housing. Direct peer in homeless services with comparable guest population and government contracting exposure.

Broad incumbents

• Freestore Foodbank: Greater Cincinnati's largest food bank distributing millions of meals annually through partner agencies. Broad incumbent on the food-distribution side with overlapping mission but operating as a wholesale/aggregation model rather than direct service.
• The Salvation Army Cincinnati Area Services: National faith-based nonprofit operating shelter, food, and recovery programs in Greater Cincinnati. Broad incumbent with overlapping meal and shelter services, larger institutional footprint, and government contracting.
• Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio: Regional Catholic social services umbrella operating food pantries, immigration services, and emergency assistance across southwestern Ohio. Broad incumbent with overlapping faith-based identity and service lines but wider geographic and programmatic scope.

Regional players

• Interfaith Hospitality Network (Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati): Greater Cincinnati faith-based network providing emergency shelter and housing stability for families experiencing homelessness. Comparable faith-based, volunteer-driven, family-focused service model with adjacent rather than direct overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SFSMinistries
• Facebookfacebook.com/sfsministries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saint-francis-seraph-ministries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saint Francis Seraph Ministries