Remember when, years ago, we had food dona-
tion baskets at the back of St. Margaret’s
sanctuary, and during the offertory we brought
the baskets forward with the sacraments to be
blessed? This ministry is starting up again!

        Please bring one or more of the following with you to church on Sunday: 

• Ready to eat protein/ready-made meals like canned chicken, chili, or chicken soup
• Toilet paper
• Bar soap
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Body wash 
• Non-sugary cold cereal

. . . and place your donation in one of the baskets
you’ll see clearly labeled at the back of the church. These will be delivered to the GBAM (Greater Belfast Area Ministerium) Food Cupboard that serves Waldo County residents every other Friday. 

      When you shop for your home, shop for someone else’s too!

Several of us met last Saturday to discuss and plan for St. Margaret’s Outreach mission. As you see in previous post, we designated the very worthy organization, H.O.M.E. of Orland, as recipient of the next 5th Sunday offering (April 30th). 

      In addition we are sending $500 to But Still I Am One, a local organization that provides services to young adults (ages 16-21) who are unhoused or home insecure in Waldo County. FMI: www.butstilliamone.org. Apart from being in the midst of a fundraising campaign where any donation up to $5,000 is being matched, the organization is also seeking host families to provide temporary housing for these young people. Maybe you have a spare bedroom and would like to help out by opening your home on a temporary basis.

      On April 23 we will resume our food in-gathering for the GBAM Food Cupboard. Please consider bringing a food item to church with you – a basket will be at the back of church. In particular need are protein items – canned chicken, canned chili, chicken soup. Also non-sugary cereal AND toiletry items such as toilet paper, bar soap, shampoo and conditioner.

      In the past we have also collected good used (or new) clothing for the men at the Midcoast Re-Entry Center. Many times men arrive at the center with only the clothing they are wearing. Sports type clothing (sweatshirts, T-shirts, sports pants) and casual clothing is suggested. In addition, new underwear and socks is always in demand as well as toiletries – liquid body soap/shampoo, deodorant, etc. A bin will be in the Parish Hall to collect these items.

      Our next meeting will be Saturday, June 10 at 9:30AM – please join us!

April 30th is the second fifth Sunday this year and the Outreach Committee designated H.O.M.E. of Orland as the recipient of the plate offerings on that Sunday plus any special donations you might like to make by marking the check for either “H.O.M.E”. or “5th Sunday”. 

      Some of you might not know about this humble non-profit located on Rte 1A in Orland. They might be small, but they are mighty! Here is a snapshot of their activities last year:

• 48 individuals including 15 children were diverted from homelessness
• 50 households moved to permanent housing
• 9,780 bed nights provided
• 52 households with children sheltered
• Average length of stay in shelter – 48nights
• 1,976 individuals provided with food
• 20 households received firewood for 22/23 season
• 16 daycare enrollments
• 244 Holiday food boxes distributed
• 459 Christmas gifts distributed
• 71 school backpacks distributed
• 118,180 pounds of food rescued and distributed.

Backpacks for Reentry is a pilot project spearheaded by Volunteers of America Northern New England. for those leaving Maine Coastal Regional Reentry Center and Knox County Jail. Backpacks will be tailored to those leaving incarceration and returning to our communities with items for immediate needs; and loaded with Recovery and Prevention literature. Items include things like Fentanyl Test Strips, information on how to obtain Narcan and exchange Needles.

This is all made possible by our community partners; Knox County Community Health Coalition, Waldo County Sheriff’s Office, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Sweetser Inc., Groups Recover, Waldo County General Hospital and many more!

If you are interested in making a donation to continue this project in either Waldo or Knox County, please email the Director Community Justice Robyn Goff [email protected].
Donation items may include hats, mittens, hygiene products, pocket planners, pens and more!

Volunteers of America, in collaboration with Helping Incarcerated Individuals Transition (HIIT) an offshoot of Artivism in Maine (AIMe) is working towards duplicating these efforts for those leaving incarceration from any of Maine’s Department of Corrections Facilities. If you are interested in making an item donation please contact HIIT founder, Norman Kehlnig Email [email protected] Or call 207.323.6260.

The Outreach Committee proposes that the Fifth Sunday Plate Offering for January 30th be given to the Waldo County Diaper Closet founded in 2017. According to the Maine Children’s Alliance most recent data, there are 1,767 children under the age of 5 living in Waldo County and 20% of our children ages 0-18 are living in poverty. Families trying to cover the costs of housing, heating, food, childcare, transportation and much more are often put in the position of purchasing diapers or paying bills. Typical infants require up to 12 diapers per day and a toddler about 8. Disposable diapers can cost more than $80 per month per baby and without transportation to a big box store to buy diapers, the cost increases. There are currently no federal or state programs that provide money specifically for diapers.

Please make checks payable to St Margaret’s and marked for the 5th Sunday Offering Waldo County Diaper Closet. Thank you.

St Margaret’s is joining with other parishes in GBAM to provide take-home comfort food for Tall PinesStaff. We have committed to one day per week, Monday May 4 to start, and we are looking for people who will shop and who will cook. Here’s how it is going to work:
Five cooks will prepare a dish with 12 servings at home each week. Kristen Burkholder will pick up the food from your home and deliver it to the parish refrigerator on Sunday late afternoon. On Monday AM John Nieman will repackage the food into 2-serving containers provided by hospice. He will then clean and return your labelled containers to you, and Kristen will deliver the servings to a refrigerator located just outside of Tall Pines for staff to grab and go home.
 
This week we have offered meatloaf and mac & cheese, so you may pick which dish you prepare. You will also need to prepare 6 labels listing the ingredients for John to attach to the 2-serving containers.
 
We need as many volunteers as we can get so no one has to do it every week! 
You may
1. volunteer to cook 
2. volunteer to shop for those want to cook but do not want to shop
3. contribute money for those who want to cook but can’t manage the cost
 
We expect to be doing this once a week for several weeks so please let Bonnie know what you would like to volunteer for and when you are available.
The cooking should be done on Saturday at the earliest, so the food is not held too long in refrigerators. 
 
This is a plane we are building as it is flying, so we will let everyone know as we gain experience and might need  modifications!

March 29 is the first fifth Sunday of the year and the Outreach Committee has asked that the collection be used 1) to beef up Women of St. Margaret’s Medical Fund – a fund used to assist those in need to help cover medical, prescription and other related expenses. 2) To help people coping with the impact of COVID 19 possibly through Belfast General Assistance or by purchasing Hannaford cards for those in need.

Because we won’t be able to pass the plate during worship, we ask that you send a check to St. Margarets Church, 95 Court Street, Belfast with “Fifth Sunday” in memo line.

Thank you!