Outreach Projects

Parish Outreach: 2011 Thanksgiving and Christmas

Collected foods and staples and provided 20 Thanksgiving baskets to our neighbors in Essex
Operation Backpack: Deliver backpacks to Sandalwood Elementary School each Friday. The bags contain 7 meals for the children to eat over the weekend when they are not getting free meals at school.
Prepared 36 Shoebox presents for the Baltimore International Seafarer's Center.

Christmas for Others (CFO): An ecumenical effort shared with several Hancock area churches. Each participating Church, during the weeks of Advent, collects non-perishable food items to be included in Christmas Baskets for local needy households. To these items, CFO adds a turkey or ham (recipient's choice) and some other fresh foods. New toys are also collected through the Churches. This year St. Thomas' members are responsible for purchasing and donating at least 20 new toys for needy Hancock children. The toys are selected from a "wish list" submitted by the children's parents when they register for "Christmas for Others." The effort also includes a collection of good, used coats, and these are made available to the recipients.
Operation Christmas Child: Shoeboxes are filled with small gifts for a needy child overseas are prepared and sent to a Collection Center and on to their overseas destination. Our Parish averages 60 to 75 shoeboxes each year.

Advent Giving Tree: On which we collect gloves, mittens, caps, scarves, and socks to be distributed by South Baltimore Emergency Relief, our local food pantry and helping agency. We also collect (under the Giving Tree) blankets for them to distribute. (Sometimes also some toys, T-shirts, whatever shows up that's new and useful.) In 2010, parishioners donated 15 blankets, 51 pairs of socks, 31 pairs of gloves/mittens, 10 scarves, 26 hats/caps, 2 afghans, 4 smocks, and 8 T-shirts.
Christmas-at-Sea program of the Baltimore International Seafarer's Center: In 2010 parishioners gave over 25 Christmas-at-Sea boxes.
Year-round, we give both canned food and money to South Baltimore Emergency Relief for their ministry of feeding and helping.

Church of the Redeemer, Baltimore will have a Giving Tree where parishioners can place gifts for the children ages birth - 17 at the Paul's Place Outreach Center in Pigtown. Continuing a tradition of many years, members bring in new, unwrapped presents to be distributed at a free "Christmas shop" held on Saturday, December 17. Parents, grandparents, and guardians who have signed up come and chose 2-3 gifts for each child in their home. For many families, these are the only presents the children receive.

St. John's Parish, Hagerstown

Childrens' Shoebox Program: Filling boxes full of toys for children. Last year we sent off 70 boxes.

St. Martin's in the Field, Severna Park partners with Anne Arundel County Social Services each Thanksgiving and Christmas to provide baskets of food and gifts for those in identified need. The recipients range from single persons to families with several children.

St. James' Church, Mt. Airy is adopting 4 families for Thanksgiving and 3 families for Christmas. At present we have a food drive underway for the 4 families we will provide with Thanksgiving dinner. Dinners include a turkey and all the trimmings including pies! For Christmas we have adopted 3 families who each have 3 or 4 children. On the first Sunday of Advent we will put up our Angel Tree with an angel for each gift requested. The gifts are brought in already wrapped and the families can pick them up along with their Christmas dinner food at our church or we can deliver them. It's a great way to give back. Lucy Winston, Outreach Committee

St. Bartholomew's Church, Ten Hills

Thanksgiving baskets delivered to people identified by the 40 West Assistance and Referral Service
Christmas Gifts (Angel Tree) for the children who attend the Head Start program at St. B's and at Beechfield United Methodist, as well as for families identified by the 40 West Assistance and Referral Service
A Mitten and Hat tree for the children in the Head Start Program (this is a project of our "Classics" program- a group for people aged 55+)

Church of the Holy Nativity, Baltimore will partner with St. John's Lutheran Church on December 17. Beginning at 1 p.m., St. John's will provide food from its pantry and Holy Nativity will provide a clothing giveaway.