St. George's parishioners are engaged with the world and find many ways in their daily lives to reach out to those in need. The Outreach Committee is made up of parishioners who look for ways for the parish as a whole to work on issues and projects that reflect our parish's commitment to help others in our communities and the world beyond. To accomplish those goals, the Outreach Committee:
Identifies volunteer opportunities and provides financial grants to local organizations especially in the areas of families affected by poverty and people confronting crisis and need.
Learns about, discusses and participates in events related to current local and global issues of suffering, poverty and social justice.
Provides relevant information on these issues to the congregation.
Each year, a portion of St. George's budget is allocated to Outreach grants to social service and other organizations in the local community, the Episcopal Church and beyond. We identify opportunities for parish-wide participation in organizations and projects that reflect our goals of helping families affected by poverty and people confronting crisis and need. We work with organizations in our local communities that need volunteers as well as financial assistance. Our grants generally range in size from $500 to $2500. We also prefer to support direct service projects to increase the potential impact of our grants.
Submit the Grant Request form via mail or fax to St. George's Church, Attention: Outreach Grant Request (address: 550 Ridgewood Road, Maplewood, NJ 07040; fax number: 973-762-9213).
Grants Awarded in 2009
2009 was a year of great need in our local communities. St. George's support for outreach is both desperately needed and greatly appreciated. The Outreach Committee continued its focus on groups that provide food, shelter and emergency assistance to families in our area. We made the following grants in calendar year 2009:
$150 to Interfaith Holocaust Memorial Service
$1500 to Broadway House A residential care facility for adults infected with HIV
$750 to Church World Service CROP Hunger Walks Matching fund for parishioner gifts.
$500 to Episcopal Church Women (ECW) Support for the Mary Rankin Scholarship
$1000 to GLESN North Jersey
$500 to Our Lady of Sorrows Food Pantry.
$2250 to North Porch Women & Infants' Centers.
$600 to the Parenting Center of the Maplewood and South Orange School District
$1000 to the Diocese of Newark – Prison Ministry
$500 to St. Joseph's Food Pantry.
$1000 to The Apostles' House.
$1750 to Turning Point Community Services Emergency housing and support services.
Questions? Contact:
Food Barrel Ministry
Every week throughout the year, the Outreach Committee welcomes contributions of non-perishable, non-breakable food items, which we give to local food pantries at St. Joseph's (Maplewood) and Turning Point Community Services (Irvington). Please place the food items in the barrels in the hallway outside the parish hall.
We also accept NEW infant items, formula and foods on behalf of North Porch Women and Infants' Center.
St. George's is a long-time supporter of the Interfaith Hospitality Network program (IHN), which brings shelter, meals, and support services to families without homes. Several times a year St. George's hosts IHN families for a week, or assists Wyoming Presbyterian Church in Millburn in hosting families by providing volunteers to prepare meals or act as evening or overnight hosts.
St. George's is an active partner in Abraham House, a single family home to be built by Habitat for Humanity Newark with funds and land donated by the faith communities of Maplewood, South Orange, Irvington and Newark. Abraham House was launched in January 2007 at the Martin Luther King Day service sponsored by the Community Coalition on Race. St. George's hosted that service and has been an active supporter of the Abraham House project contributing through grants from the Outreach Committee and additional funds donated directly by parishioners.
Several of the organizations supported by St. George's Outreach Grants also regularly seek volunteers to help them further their missions. If you would are looking for new ways to put your faith in action, or if you would like to learn more about the organizations we support, please consider some of these volunteer opportunities:
Christ Episcopal Church in Belleville
There are many ways to help including providing donations to the closet, helping with the shopping and packaging, etc. Christ Church also runs a soup kitchen. Members of our youth group have volunteered for Mary and Martha's Kitchen, and you can too.
Community Food Bank of New Jersey
The Food Bank has a large volunteering program on site for sorting donated food. You may also help solve the problem of hunger by leaving canned and dry goods in the food collection barrels next to the Parish Hall entrance.
St. Philip's Academy
St. George's has supported St. Philip's for several years. Additionally, the Dragons Middle School Youth Group selected the school for their service projects and raised money for students affected by Hurricane Katrina by "flocking" parishioners with hot pink flamingos! If you are interested in volunteering at St. Philip's Academy, a private Episcopal elementary day school in Newark, please contact the Development Department at 973/624-3684 or via
.
St. Philip's offers tutoring to its students after school for about an hour a day. Tutors work with students in both groups and individually as needed. Volunteer tutors should be able to commit to tutoring for at least one hour a week on a regular basis. Local adults may volunteer to read to a class during school hours.
Seamen's Church Institute
SCI advocates for the personal, professional and spiritual well-being of merchant mariners around the world. Volunteer opportunities include welcoming visitors, visiting seafarers on their ships, and knitting scarves, hats and vests for the Christmas-at-Sea program. Parishioner David Cates currently volunteer with SCI and can share his experiences with anyone who is interested. For more information see volunteer opportunities.
