“I was hungry and you gave me food…” Matthew 25:35
“If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” James 2:15-17
Every day in Minnesota, people are hungry. It’s not a problem just of the inner city. It affects our neighbors and friends, at and near St. Anne’s. Seniors and children in the suburbs make up the largest growing segment of those seeking help from local foodshelves. See more information about hunger in Minnesota. Every March, the 300+ foodshelves in Minnesota count on a special donation drive to restock their inventory, so they can continue to help our neighbors all year long.
Saint Anne’s members have contributed for many years to Neighbors, Inc., a non-profit social service agency established in 1972 by local churches. Neighbors is one of our 2nd Sunday 2nd Offering recipients, and it’s where we take the non-perishable food and personal items that are collected at St. Anne’s.
During this month of March 2012, St. Anne’s will make a special effort to address hunger in our community. There are four parts to our participation in Minnesota FoodShare Month:
Bring Food -- Make it an Ongoing Habit
Use this season of Lent to ingrain a practice into your daily living. Every time you come to church, bring a box or can of food with you, for our local foodshelf at Neighbors, Inc. Some families put a box of items near the back door, so children can choose something to bring. It’s a tangible reminder to give thanks for the blessing of food, and to share what we have. Every Sunday, let’s make the basket in our entryway full. Children will carry the basket forward each week, as part of the offertory.
ECM Mission Project 2012: A Night Without Hunger
Pick up an orange bag at church, fill it with groceries, and bring it to church on Wednesday, March 14. They will be offered and blessed during our Evening Prayer service (begins at 7:30). Bags will continue to be collected through the rest of March, and will accumulate in front of the altar. All donations go to Neighbors, Inc., our neighborhood non-profit social service agency, established in 1972 by local churches.
2nd Sunday 2nd Offering
March 11 our second offering will go to Neighbors, Inc. Giving items is good, as a tangible reminder of what it means to share. But money donated goes much farther, when the foodshelf can buy directly from foodbanks. Please give generously. Encourage your children to bring part of their allowance, or provide them with some coins, so they can participate as well.
Saint Anne’s Pantry
Hunger does not stop at the door of St. Anne’s. To reach out directly to those of our faith community who are need, we will stock a cupboard in the St. Anne’s Room with non-perishable, staple foods, and basic personal care and home items. Place these items in the clearly-marked box in the narthex, for St. Anne’s Pantry. Deacon-in-training, Dawnlynn Greeney, will provide a list of items, and will inventory and restock as needed. If you can, please contribute. If you need help, please take what you need, without going through red tape. Questions? Speak with Dawnlynn or with Lydia. This will be an ongoing ministry, after March, after Lent.
