Category Archives: Homeless/Feed the Hungry

News from the Service Commission’s Homeless & Feed the Hungry program

From the Service Commission: World Day of Refugees and Migrants

Pope Francis has a special concern for refugees and has designated this Sunday as World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The theme he has chosen for this year is: “Church without frontiers, mother to all”. Here at St. Johns we have a Refugee Ministry which provides support to Refugee families relocating to the Boston area. If you would like to get involved in this ministry, please contact Beth Dugan at 781-235-0187.

Thank You!

Thank You 2A very big thank you to all the families who donated cooked turkeys and side dishes to the soup kitchen at Bristol Lodge in Waltham. Thanks to your efforts we delivered enough food to serve over 100 guests. This year marks our 4th consecutive year of providing a Thanksgiving feast and it’s remarkable how generous our Parish response has been to this appeal. One of our parishioners prepared TWO turkeys and another (at age 10 our youngest contributor to date) baked a beautiful pumpkin roll. Thanks so much for your boundless generosity. – Deirdre Heilbron, Service Commission

St. Katharine Drexel Food Pantry Collection Needs Your Help

feed the hungryAs you know, we collect food items for the Food Pantry at our sister Parish, Saint Katharine Drexel, on the second Sunday each month. This November, food assistance benefits dropped for nearly 48 million Americans, including 22 million children. The benefit cut will reduce Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly know as food stamps) benefits, which are already modest, for all households by 7 percent a month. It seems unlikely that Congress will enact legislation to remedy this problem. With this reduction in SNAP benefits it’s important to consider its effect on food pantries, especially at St. Katherine Drexel.

Our next collection will be Sunday, December 8 and we’d ask you to be as generous as your means allow.  Thank you.

Thanksgiving Dinner at Bristol Lodge

Thanksgiving DinnerThanksgiving is just around the corner and with it comes our commitment to serving dinner to 100 guests at Bristol Lodge in Waltham. Please consider cooking or baking for this important outreach program. We will need the following cooked items:
* Ten 18-20lb cooked (but unstuffed) Turkeys * Mashed Potatoes * Gravy * Butternut Squash * Corn * Green beans * Cranberry sauce *  Rolls * Cider * Cranberry Juice
Food should be brought to the St. John’s parking lot on Wednesday, November 27 between 12pm and  2:00pm.  (Turkeys, as well as other side dishes may be cooked as early as the Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving.) Please contact Deirdre Heilbron at dgheilbron@yahoo.com or 617-894-4416 if you can help.

Can You Help? Annual Thanksgiving Dinner at Bristol Lodge

Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is fast approaching! Please
consider cooking turkey or side dish for the Thanksgiving feast at Bristol Lodge in
Waltham. Bring your donations to the Church parking lot on Wednesday, November 27
between 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m. Contact Deirdre Heilbron at dgheilbron@yahoo.com
or 617-894-4416 if you are interested in helping or have any questions.

Thank You from Anton’s Cleaners and Bristol Lodge

Thank you so much for your support! St. John’s has donated over 200 coats for two consecutive years and that makes a big difference in our annual coat drive. Our distribution partners in your area include the Wellesley Housing Authority, Circle of Hope (Needham), and The Second Step (Newtonville). After the coats have been cleaned at Anton’s Wellesley location, the distribution partners pick up however many coats they need. This is our 18th year of Coats for Kids and we appreciate all that St. John the Evangelist has donated along the way!
– Stephanie Littlefield, Anton’s Cleaners

I wanted to let you know how much we look forward to the Thanksgiving feast provided by the parishioners from St. John the Evangelist. The food was delicious and, in addition to serving over 90 guests, there was enough to go around for ‘seconds’. It was a great day and thanks so much. Have a wonderful Christmas.  – Mike Hannon, Bristol Lodge

Thanksgiving is This Thursday!

There’s still time to donate a cooked turkey or side dish to the Thanksgiving feast at Bristol Lodge!  In order to serve over 100 guests we will need the following COOKED items: ten 18-20 lb. unstuffed turkeys; mashed potatoes, gravy, butternut squash, corn, green beans, stuffing, rolls; cranberry sauce; cider and cranberry juice. Turkeys, as well as the other side dishes, can be cooked as early as the Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving.  In addition to having a drop off time at St. John’s on Wednesday, individual food pickups can be arranged.  Please contact Deirdre Heilbron at dgheilbron@yahoo.com or 617-894-4416 if you are interested in helping.

The “Coats for Kids” Drive Continues This Weekend, November 17-18

If you forgot to bring coat donations last weekend, don’t despair! We have extended the winter coats collection through this weekend, November 17-18. Please check your closets and bring gently used winter coats, including ski jackets, in all sizes.  (Click on the poster to see more details.) Donations should be brought to the Rectory garage (behind the Church) after any Mass.

 

Coats for Kids Drive Starts This Weekend, November 10th and 11th!

Please don’t forget to donate gently used winter coats in all sizes – for babies, toddlers, children, teens and adults. (Click on the poster to see more details.) Donations should be brought to the Rectory garage (behind the Church) after any Mass.

 

Thanksgiving Dinner for Bristol Lodge

Once again St. Johns will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless at the Bristol Shelter in Waltham. Please consider cooking or baking for this important outreach program. In order to serve over 100 guests we will need the following COOKED items: ten 18-20 lb. unstuffed turkeys; mashed potatoes, gravy, butternut squash, corn, green beans, stuffing, rolls; cranberry sauce; cider and cranberry juice. Turkeys, as well as the other side dishes, can be cooked as early as the Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving. In addition to having a drop off time at St. John’s on Wednesday, individual food pickups can be arranged.  Please contact Deirdre Heilbron at dgheilbron@yahoo.com or 617-894-4416 if you are interested in helping.