Ideas for helping people and parishes in this current economy. April 25 Meeting at All Souls.

1. Have a job posting area on the Diocesan Website. For any kind of work- paid work, short term work, or even bartering services.
2. Have parishes create Support Groups in their areas.
3. Have congregations in which most members are retired reach out to other parishes in need to give their ideas, skills, and services.
4. Have parishes host a Stewardship Seminar on Refinancing. This would help people change their budget demands. Currently, helping seniors.
5. Start the canned food drive program “I Can, One Can at a Time’. Each Sunday parishioners are asked to donate one canned good. Donate these to your local food bank.
6. Red Wagon Canned Food Drive- for local food banks like ABCCM. Be sure to list drives in your bulletin. Perhaps support a different program each week/month.
7. Create a ‘Backpack Program’ in your parish to help provide meals for children at home over the weekend and the summertime.
8. Join in the ‘Feed the Kids’ program at your local Boys & Girls Club.
9. Create a year round ‘Angle Tree’ Program.
10. Post available jobs in your parish hall. Have fliers with pull off tabs at the bottom with contact information for those who want to be discrete.
11. Publicize your local business that are struggling- provide local support for these business to continue.
12. Start a Church Community Garden Center with fruits and vegetables for your local community.
13. Start a Bag Breakfast- hand out to those in need to take with them and eat at their leisure.
14. Some parishes have endowments restricted for outreach and need to find a way to use their money. Seek out parishes that can use the financial support to either support a program they are involved with or a local program in their area. ‘Adopt A Community’
15. Fortunate parishes should help those less fortunate.
16. Help those families in crises- with large stress.
17. In an effort to address the credit crises parishes should host a credit card counseling session.
18. Find ways for those without jobs to ask for help in a discrete manner. Reach out to those people so they are embarrassed or afraid to ask for help.
19. List available community resources in the church newsletter, bulletin.
20. Provide home repair services for the unemployed and elderly.
21. Have different outreach programs come and speak to your parish about their needs.


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