Community Outreach

The “local” portion of Justice and Peace activities at St. Mary’s

St. Philip’s Food Shelf

The food shelf at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church was founded more than 15 years ago by the Guild of the Black Madonna in response to a need to help the working poor and homeless who came to the church asking for food.  The food shelf is open for one hour every Wednesday at 6:00 (except the first Wednesday of the month), and now serves 40 to 50 families each week.  St. Mary’s has been committed to this project since its

inception, and in addition to providing food and financial support, St. Mary’s helps staff the food shelf weekly.

Steward:  Mary Ann Jackson

       School Tools

In August each year, St. Mary’s, as well as many other congregations in the St. Paul area, collects school supplies for distribution through SPACC’s Project SPIRIT, Project Home, and DIW Youth Enrichment programs.  The best time to find bargains for school supplies is during the summer when many stores are running specials; however, we are prepared to accept donations throughout the year.  Remember how you felt taking your brand new backpack, filled with exactly what was listed on your school’s supply list, to school the first day?  We will be putting those school’s lists, for the 2008-9 school year, in our newsletter as soon as they are available.

Steward:  Kitty McFarland

           Pine Ridge Book Drive

Once a year, St. Mary’s collects new and gently used children’s books to send to the children on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.  This

reservation is in the poorest county in the U.S., and the children there have few cultural advantages.  Dr. Mark Butterbrodt, who works in Wanblee, the most remote part of the reservation, distributes the books.  To hear about the impact these books have from Dr. Butterbrodt’s point of view, click here.  Last year, St. Mary’s sent 18 boxes of books!

Steward:  Rainy Morgan

April-May

        Souper Bowl of Caring

A simple prayer: “Lord even as we enjoy the Superbowl football game, help us be mindful of those without a bowl of soup to eat” inspired a youth group in South Carolina in 1990 to start Souper Bowl of Caring by collecting dollars after their church service to feed the hungry.  Now youth from 50 states participate and over 41 million dollars has been collected to feed the hungry.  The donations are reported to the national headquarters but the money donated stays in the local community.  St. Mary’s has participated since the mid 90’s and last year $600 was collected for St. Philip’s Food Shelf.  St. Mary’s youth group has added

their own spin by collecting in three pots: one for each team plus one for “I don’t care.”  For more information about Souper Bowl of caring see their website www.souperbowl.org

Steward:  Youth & Joe Juvland

(January-February)

         Angel Tree

The Angle Tree provides gifts at Christmas time for children at the St. Paul College Day Care Center and gift cards for their parents.  Many of the children are from low income single parent families and the parent is attending school to learn a skill that will make it possible to get a job and earn a living

wage.  Money is always in short supply for these families, and the holidays can be especially difficult with the extra demands on the dollars at that time.  Help make Christmas brighter for the children and less stressful for the parents – and participate in this season of giving.  Children and youth can participate in choosing a child and buying the gifts. 

Steward:  Paulette Briese

(December)

          St. Paul Area Council of Churches

The Saint Paul Area Council of Churches (SPACC) has been connecting congregations for service and justice for 100 years.  St. Mary’s has a long history as a member congregation.  SPACC provides short and long term solutions for helping those most vulnerable in our community by providing: A safe and welcoming overnight shelter for families without a home (Project Home); after-school and summer programs for African-American and American Indian children; food and clothing for American Indians in need of emergency services; school supplies for children in need (School Tools), kitchen kits for women in shelter and care packs for area nurseries; anti-racism training; and a vital link to community resources most important to social outreach and advocacy. www.SPACC.org

Steward:  LaVonne Mayer

August