Neighbor Outreach

"For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me…Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."

 (Matthew 25:35-36, 40)

Overview

The St. Mary community has been recognized over its many years for a warm welcome to all those who step through the doors. Even as we have grown to include a larger and more diverse membership, that familiar warm embrace continues to be our signature quality. In that same vein, the St. Mary community has historically extended its love to the surrounding community by offering security to those in need of essential goods and fellowship. One only needs to walk out the door of the church building to see that we are located at the center of a city neighborhood that calls for exactly this kind of attention.

Building on our past, Neighbor Outreach is designed to provide a more consistent response. Individual parish members, families, or organizations commit to prepare and deliver “home cooked”, low-cost, healthy meals to our neighbors. The focus of the ministry is to provide food on a regular basis to maintain stability and build trust.

The bonus has been the resulting fellowship among the participants. When we work together to help others, the natural consequence is building bonds and lifetime memories.

Neighbor Outreach First Sunday Subs

2024 Updates

Introducing N.O. 365

In 2024, Neighbor Outreach 365 was introduced, with a goal to deliver meals 365 days per year. On January 2024, the Ministry was delivering meals 7 days a month, in December 2024, meals were delivered approximately 20 days. 

Neighbor Outreach 2024 Meal Days per Month

 

Neighbor Outreach 2021-2024

 

Ways to Participate

There are many ways to participate regardless of cooking skill or financial position! Many have already participated by donating time, efforts, ideas, and financial support.

  • Prepare a meal on your own, with friends or family on a committed date or dates, for example twice a year;
  • Volunteer by helping with the cooking and delivering on one of the regularly scheduled meal days. The ministry works hard to make this as easy as possible for participants and has tested many meals, including easy prep one pot meals;
  • Bring your tray of food to church with you on Sunday for delivery that day or for freezing for delivery by another volunteer at a later date.
  • Reheat and deliver a tray that is already prepared.
  • Commit to making meals whether it be 1/year, 2/year, 6/year, or even 12/year.
  • Identify a Neighbor that is local to you that you would like to serve and contact the Committee at tjane@verizon.net for review and coordination.
  • Help with fundraising, identifying donated groceries sources, website or communication roles.
    Prepare a meal on your own, with friends or family on a committed date or dates, for example twice a year;

Whatever you do, you will receive support, direction, Neighbor Outreach proven recipes, reimbursement for all grocery costs, and best of all, the rewards of helping others.

Meals to Neighbors

The stories and appreciation from those who have received the meals to date are heartwarming. They will not be recounted here because we hope that you will experience them yourselves directly.

Contact Information

Please contact us with any questions or interest in participation:

You can make cash contributions to Neighbor Outreach on E-give.