St. Matthew Catholic Community supports shelters by donating numerous boxes of needed items from monthly wish lists
Written by Community Engagement Specialist Jesse Brunette
As you can imagine, running two seasonal overnight shelters and two daytime resource centers requires many resources. There is a steady need for the same supplies as running a household — paper towels, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies. There is also a need for items to supplement meals, like sugar, creamer, and condiments.
Our community has always been very generous in supplying items. However, when the need at our overnight shelter rose, especially during the coldest nights, some supplies quickly diminished. A month ago, we were in serious need of paper towels and other staples items. As we approached the season of Lent, we sent out an appeal to our parish neighbors to ask for support. The ask was for them to do a Lenten collection drive for supplies at their parishes.
The generosity of our community was confirmed again. Several churches and schools answered immediately and are in the midst of a Lenten collection for items on our monthly Wish List. A few Mondays ago, the first delivery arrived from St. Matthew Catholic Community. Volunteer Coordinator Brooke Graham was excited to welcome a huge delivery of items from our February Wish List. We publish that list monthly to collect items most in need. Otherwise, our limited space gets full of items that we can’t use. The gift was so generous it took over an hour for our team to sort and store the items!
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “The foundational call of Christians to charity is a frequent theme of the Gospels. During Lent, we are asked to focus more intently on “almsgiving,” which means donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity.”
St. John’s Ministries would like to thank St. Matthew Catholic Community for their generosity and support during this Lenten season. Your collection of gifts will be used to serve our brothers and sisters struggling with homelessness and seeking stable housing.
For ideas on how your church or faith community can support St. John’s Ministries, contact Jesse Brunette at jbrunette@stjohnsgreenbay.org.
