Seasonal Sharing
The Seasonal Sharing ministry was formed more than 25 years ago and today is widely supported by the people of St. Mary’s. Its focus is to coordinate St. Mary's efforts to help provide families in the Manchester community with food and necessities during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. Names of local families are given to us by the Family Resource Center at Bennet Academy, Manchester Area Conference of Churches (MACC), and by other community groups that are aware of families in need. Our baskets have been called “designer,” since we tailor the contents to exactly what the family needs down to dietary restrictions and household appliance availability.
For Thanksgiving, St. Mary’s supplies food insecure Manchester families with a complete holiday meal, non-perishable food items and milk, cheese, butter, eggs and bread. We typically provide for close to 30 families at Thanksgiving. The donations of non-perishable food items by St. Mary's parishioners, along with their generous monetary gifts make this all possible. At Christmas, our church family will once again provide both non-perishable and perishable food items, plus a gift for every family member. This typically means gifts for over 120 people.
The Seasonal Sharing organizing committee includes very dedicated church members who painstakingly coordinate all the details. But this important ministry could never be successful without the help of every church member. The members of St. Mary's Church all put their faith into action by donating canned goods and produce, sorting and packing the baskets and delivering them to the families.
For Thanksgiving, St. Mary’s supplies food insecure Manchester families with a complete holiday meal, non-perishable food items and milk, cheese, butter, eggs and bread. We typically provide for close to 30 families at Thanksgiving. The donations of non-perishable food items by St. Mary's parishioners, along with their generous monetary gifts make this all possible. At Christmas, our church family will once again provide both non-perishable and perishable food items, plus a gift for every family member. This typically means gifts for over 120 people.
The Seasonal Sharing organizing committee includes very dedicated church members who painstakingly coordinate all the details. But this important ministry could never be successful without the help of every church member. The members of St. Mary's Church all put their faith into action by donating canned goods and produce, sorting and packing the baskets and delivering them to the families.
Creative Caring Hands
This group creates hand-knit, crocheted, hand-sewn and crafted items to be donated to the local community organizations, as well as to be sold at church fairs. They knit baby afghans and infant hats for the Manchester Memorial Hospital Birthing Center. They also knit scarves and hats for the Seamen's Church Institute Christmas at Sea program. The group meets year-round on Thursday mornings from 9:30am to 11:30 a.m. If this is something that interests you, please email Ruth McElraevy, rmcelraevy@gmail.com.
Wall Out Hunger
St. Mary’s has taken on the challenge of ‘walling out hunger’ for the past six years, especially during the Lenten season. The parish's response to this challenge has growth significantly over time. Initially, we built a small ‘wall’ on the floor of the baptistery. As the years progressed and interest grew, we built a cube system to display the donations and highlight which items were lacking. We really try to focus on specific needs of the MACC food pantry and also push donations of paper products, toiletries and personal care products. So donations will range from cereal to diapers, pasta sauce to shampoo, mayonnaise to personal care products. Recently, the wall grew to be over 6 feet tall and it took 6 vehicles to deliver to MACC! St. Mary’s mission statement is “Nurtured by Christ, Serving our Neighbors.” As a church we try to make an impact in the local community and world at large in the areas of hunger and extreme poverty. This specific challenge gives us a visible way to live out our mission statement and refocus ourselves as a Christians during the most holy season of the church.
School Supplies Drive
For the past 7 years St. Mary’s has designated their school supplies drive to benefit Manchester Public Schools’ Family Resource Centers. Bennet Academy is our school partner. The partnership allows for us to have a direct impact on the Manchester community, especially its students. In our first year, 30 backpacks and bags were filled and with each following year a new goal has been set, reached and exceeded.
Undie Sunday
The first Sunday in March each year is Undie Sunday at St. Mary's. On Undie Sunday, parishioners are asked to donate items such as socks, underwear, bras and undershirts for all ages and genders. These items are among those most needed by disadvantaged adults and children in Manchester. And yet, they're vitally important, because dignity begins with the basics. Donated items go to MACC and the Family Resource Center at Bennet Academy for distribution.