The Mission Outreach Committee met on Tuesday July 13, 2021 for their regularly scheduled meeting. The purpose of these meetings is to receive updates on the progress of various outreach projects. We partner with other groups and churches to support some of their ongoing projects that fulfill our mission by “serving our community with joy, without walls!”
Committee member Caroline Hoffman defined bite sized projects as a one-time activity that require one or all of three things: money, items, or time. Collecting school supplies for Dallas Champions Academy was St Thomas’s first outreach project. In the July 1 Doubter, Father Christopher wrote about the Dallas Champions Academy and four of the programs that help break the cycle of poverty.
The picture is the trunk space in Virginia Holleman’s car with all the school supplies We had delivered to the church. She and Stephen Toon counted what we had collected and made the bags of supplies ready to be transported to Dallas Champion Academy. It is helpful for our parish to know what we are doing. The supplies included: 34 packages of notebook paper, 22 composition books, 21 small pencil sharpeners. 250 pencils, 55 3 x 5 packets of index cards of 100 each (5,500 index cards), 124 glue sticks, 11 pencil pouches, and the list goes one for a total of 662 items. Because I like to translate numbers into real time cash, 662 at $1.00 per item equals $662.00 that the parishioners of St. Thomas donated to someone outside of our parish. By all accounts, this was a successful bite sized project.
Continuing with our support of Dallas Champions Academy projects, their summer camp program was asking donors to give $300 to sponsor one child for a year. This money represents the financial support of one child for a year within the DCA programs including summer camp. Along with typical camp activities, the child is offered academic tutoring and life skills lessons. This is another way DCA prepares their students for the next academic year and to become leaders within their peer group.
St. Thomas has crossed the threshold of 10 to be classified as a sponsoring church. In fact, as of the publishing of this Doubter, 11 members of St. Thomas have sent in their $300. We will again lead the Diocese of Dallas in our commitment to social justice and strengthening our communities in their quest to be free of poverty. Congratulations St. Thomas the Apostle. Another successful bite sized project.
Moving toward a longer commitment, we are partnering with Cathedral of Hope to become a sustaining member of their food and toiletries pantry. Randy Hering is the point person for this project. You will see a basket set out to collect your contributions to their need. Once Randy has the list of what they need for that month, Mission Outreach will publish their list. We are suggesting the third Sunday of each month to be the day the items in the basket get blessed and delivered to Cathedral of Hope.
Chuck Walters and Joe DeuPree are working with Community Partners of Dallas to have an Angel Tree during their toy drive in November. Hallelujah things are beginning to look like “normal”. Bite size project.
Caroline Hoffman suggested another bite sized project. Holiday Boxes for Moms are shoeboxes designed to bring a little cheer to women experiencing homelessness. The boxes contain donated items such as: socks, mittens, and hats; something sweet, toiletries; purse-sized tissues, gift cards and coloring books. More information about what is needed will be coming in the next month or so.
David Aston reported that the hand bells used during the service are well received. They were a service saver last Sunday when we lost power. They were used to help the congregation during the singing of the hymns. The bell was used to start the service as the organ was down for the count. Lee and David are looking for more people to be in the bell choir. If you can not read music, Lee can still use you and your time. Step up folks.
Our next meeting is Tuesday, August 10 at 6:30. You are welcome to come and join us. Bring an idea or your time and interest.
** On Thursday, Mtr. Virginia handed over the school supplies to Darell Smith with Dallas Champions Academy. Watch for information on mentoring and reading buddies. These groups will meet once a month on a Saturday afternoon. Location(s) are still being finalized. This is a great opportunity to give back to our community and make a difference in a child’s life.
