St. Mark's Outreach Ministry
Your Opportunity to Give Back to the Community
Everyone Welcome
The Outreach Committee meets the first Sunday of every month at about 12:30 pm, after the 11:00 am service.
Committee members plan, maintain, and fund Outreach activities and also host representatives from community charitable organizations.
Some Outreach activities are described below.
- Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter Food Basket Drives: Outreach coordinates the distribution
of food and gifts to needy families during these festive seasons.
- Faith Based Network: Outreach representatives attend regular monthly meetings
with other community charitable organizations.
- Habitat for Humanity: Outreach raises funds supporting Habitat for Humanity, and members participate in the
construction of sponsored houses.
- Lending Closet: Provides medical equipment, such as wheelchairs and crutches, on loan to people in need.
- Bridging AZ Furniture Bank: Outreach members participate in a faith-based partnership
with Bridging AZ providing furniture to the needy. Go to www.bridgingaz.org.
Book Drive Continues Through May 11
The Outreach Group is now collecting new books to be distributed to students at Edison Elementary School. This year, we need books for grades K-3. For many of these students, the books we provide are the first they have ever owned. Thank you to all who have donated books. Donations of books and monetary donations to be used for the purchase of books, can be given to Kim Williams or made through the church office. Please bring in your donations for the Book Drive by May 11, 2008.
Food Pantry - Open Tuesday, 10:00-11:30 am
The Food Pantry is a new Outreach project originally suggested by Fr Jeremy and A New Leaf. St. Mark's has teamed with Sprinzl/Murphy Volunteer Group to provide regular food donations to needy people in our community. Sprinzl/Murphy comes to us with a strong infrastructure that includes a monetary and in-kind donation network, contacts with community resources, and an administrative protocol for screening clients. The Food Pantry operates every Tuesday from 10:00 am to 11:30 am. Clients are allowed one donation per month, and they can also receive referrals and counseling. St. Mark's opened the Food Pantry on March 4, 2008 and has served over 300 families (1000 people) in two months of operation. This activity will always need monetary and in-kind donations. A food pantry needs list will be regularly posted near the coffee window in the parish hall. Anybody interested in volunteering or having questions should talk to any Outreach member, or they can simply show up on Tuesday sometime between 9:00 am and 11:30 am at St. Mark's parish hall.
Note to Parish Members in Need of Emergency Food
Although the Food Pantry is open only on Tuesday, 10:00 am to 11:30 am, parish members in need of emergency food may obtain a food box or bag at any time during regular church office hours (including Sundays). Contact any Outreach member or the church office staff.
Shopping Reward Fundraising Program
St. Mark's is proud to announce an opportunity to participate in a fundraising event that's as easy as shopping! Starting this month a sign up sheet will be available at the welcome table to register your Basha's, Albertsons or Safeway card so St. Mark's can benefit from your hours spent navigating the grocery store aisles. The program is simple. Your existing shopping reward card is linked to St. Mark's, and the stores match a percentage of your purchases in the church's account. This is an excellent way to give to the church for something you already do, and it doesn't cost you any additional effort or money!
We've made it easy to register. Simply bring your shopping reward card to the welcome table and fill in your card number and name on our sign up sheet, and we'll take care of the rest. For more information or for help registering your Basha's, Albertsons or Safeway shopping reward card please stop by the welcome table or contact Kevin Korczyk at 602-369-5386