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Outreach

Support for the Newton Food
Pantry
“I was hungry and you
gave me food.”
Hunger knows no geographical boundaries. Many families in the
western suburbs depend on organizations such as the Newton Food
Pantry for assistance. Help stamp out hunger right around the
corner by bringing donated items to the church during any service or
concert event. Special wooden containers for donations are
located inside the front entrance of the church and near the
church office. Parishioners also may bring donations to the
Newton Food Pantry located in the Waban Public Library at the
corner of 1608 Beacon and Woodward Streets in Waban Square.
Hours are 1:30 to 3:30 PM on the first, second, fourth, and
fifth week of each month; and 11 AM to 12 Noon on the third
Saturday of the month. Some items needed are listed below:
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Non-perishable food: |
Small personal care
items: |
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canned tuna, peanut butter |
soap
and detergent |
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canned fruits and vegetables |
toilet
tissue |
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canned meals such as beef
stew |
toothpaste, tampons, etc. |
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pasta, cereal, and other dry food |
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Mustard Seed Project -- South Africa
For many years
people at Messiah have prayed for and contributed to the work of
Joan Reeve. Joan is a member of All Saints Church, the
Anglican parish in Winterton, a small town in the southwestern
farmlands of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. A longtime opponent
of apartheid, she has played a leading role within her parish to
address the economic and social difficulties of their community.
One
of her efforts, the Mustard Seed Project, supports the education of
children who otherwise would not be able to attend school. The
project is on a small scale intentionally, as Joan hopes to support
these children until they graduate from high school. She feels the
best results are achieved when support starts at the beginning of a
child’s education.
In one of her
letters, Joan says, “Pray for the lives of these kids so that
they’re not dropped halfway. I really would like the whole thing to
become funded by
South Africa
rather than us asking people overseas to fund it. We need to build
a culture here in this country of trying to sort ourselves out, but
our congregations are small. And everyone is involved.
Everybody is doing something in some way or another.”
Gifts in
support of her work can be made at any time of year. Make
checks payable to the Parish of the Messiah, with “Reeve Fund”
written on the memo line.
Hildebrand Shelter
Each
Advent, we collect Christmas gifts for the women
who live at the Hildebrand Shelter for homeless families in
Cambridge. Gifts for children are also welcome, but as so few
mothers receive gifts that is the area of greatest need.
Parishioners are asked to donate personal items such as toiletries,
slippers, nightgowns, or socks as well as gift cards from local
stores such as Target and Marshalls.
Gifts do not need to be wrapped, but if the gift is wrapped, please tag the package with a content
label (eg, slippers, size 8).
Several collection boxes are located within the church or gift card
donations marked "Hildebrand" may be placed in the offering plate.
The beginning of the school is
another time when items can be donated. Anything that a young
person needs for going back to school on the first day are welcome
such as back packs, spiral notebooks, pads of paper, pens, pencils,
markers, and rulers.
Additional gifts may be made to the Hildebrand Shelter any time
during the year by sending or bringing them to the church
office at 1900 Commonwealth Avenue, Auburndale MA 02466.

Episcopal Relief and
Development
Parish of the Messiah supports the world-wide relief and
development work being done by Episcopal Relief and Development or
ERD. ERD provides emergency
assistance in times of disaster by saving lives and building hope in
communities around the world. When the immediate crisis is
over, ERD rebuilds devastated communities and offers long-term
solutions in the areas of food security, health care, and HIV/AIDS.
ERD saves lives after an
emergency:
Disasters, whether man-made or natural, happen all the
time. When they strike, ERD helps people by
supplying food, water, and medicine immediately.
ERD prevents vulnerable people from further suffering,
especially women, children, and the elderly.
ERD
helps communities rebuild when the crisis is over:
Hurricanes, earthquakes, and other catastrophes leave
people with nothing.
ERD works hand-in-hand with local
communities to build new homes, plant crops, create
clean water systems, construct clinics and schools, and
offer critical post-trauma counseling.
ERD
creates opportunities for people living in poverty:
In many places in the world, people can't feed their
families or give them basic health care. Through
ERD's
food security and primary health care program,
ERD
provides farming and business training, health care
services, and HIV/AIDS programs in communities where
families are struggling to survive.
ERD gives people
the tools to earn an income and create opportunities for
their children.

To learn more about ERD, just click on
the button below, or go to
www.er-d.org
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