Hope Dining Room – Monday, May 17, 2021

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Dear Families of St. Thomas’s and St. Nicholas,

Monday, May 17,  2021, is our opportunity to serve at Hope Dining Room. If you are free between 10 a.m. and noon that day, we would LOVE for you to experience the joy of being on a team that makes a simple lunch for people who really need it.

We begin cooking at 10 a.m. at Kingswood Methodist Church in Brookside Park on Marrows Road and we finish cleaning up a little after noon. Only 5 masked people are allowed in the kitchen at any one time.

Here is the Sign Up Genius for the fruit cups, cookies and volunteers:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DACA72AAAFF2-hope9          

You may drop off your donations of food at St. Thomas’s, today through Thursday, May 13, 2021 between 9 a.m. through noon. Or, feel free to drop off your donations on Sunday morning, May 16, 2021, if you are coming to the big celebration of Baptisms, Confirmation, and Bishop-welcoming!   

If those times do not work for you, give me a call or an email and I will pick it up at your house.

Many Blessings, Madeline Johnson    mad1240@comcast.net

Outreach Ministry report for March 2021

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HOPE DINING  ROOM

Our Hope Dining Room event is Monday, March 15, 2021 and we are set to prepare 44 meals. The numbers have gone down to between 36 and 40 people / day at Hope Dining Room. I take the leftover meals to the Newark Empowerment Center.

2  SAINTS BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

The 2 Saints Book Group will start up a couple weeks after Easter, on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 10 a.m. by Zoom. We will be discussing  “Holy Envy – Finding God in the Faith of Others”  by Barbara Brown Taylor, who is an Episcopal priest and who now teaches a class at Piedmont College in Georgia on the world’s religions. Order your book now, so you’ll be ready to chat about the first 3 chapters on April 20, 2021.

HOPE CENTER

I took 3 big boxes of children’s books and toys to the Hope Center and they were thrilled to get them.   

Madeline Johnson, Vestry liaison for Outreach

Community Blood Drive March 10, 2021

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Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2021 beginning at 1 p.m.
Price: Free
Open to the public but must register.

ALL are Welcome to BE A FIRST RESPONDER! Your one donation can save three lives! Every drop counts.
Call 1.888.8.BLOOD.8 or register online.

To care for the health and safety of our community, donations are by appointment, social distancing will be observed, and masks are required.

This event is sponsored by St. Thomas’s Episcopal Parish, Newark, Delaware and Blood Bank of Delmarva.

Questions? Call or write St. Thomas’s Parish at:
Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com or (302) 368-4644

Tarbiyah School Giving Project Continues

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Greetings St. Thomas’s!

Pastoral Care is continuing to provide help to the Tarbiyah School, which reaches out to individuals with needs in our community. Your generosity to Tarbiyah over the Christmas Season was beyond expectation and the school’s administration was so grateful and appreciative for the love expressed through the donations by St. Thomas parishioners. 

We are asking for your kindness again. Kohl’s has offered us a 30% discount and Jill Jensen is meeting one of the Tarbiyah teachers tomorrow to purchase clothing. 

The following list was sent to us and reflects the needs of those in shelters. (I have heard that Colgate toothpaste and deodorant are $1 at ACME….)

  1. Blankets and Towels (these do not need to be new, but should be clean and in good condition)
  2. Diapers and wipes
  3. Toiletries (soap, toothpaste, tooth brush, shampoo, body wash, deodorants)
  4. Recently a family who used to take meals from our school had their house burned down completely due to an electric short circuit. Thank God all the 3 girls, their parents, and grandparents were safe and no one sustained an injury, however they are displaced. I was thinking perhaps if clothing can be arranged for them – girls are 7 years, 6 years, and 3 years. 

A collection box will be placed outside the parish office starting tomorrow until Tuesday, February 23, 2021. 

Thank you for any items you feel you can donate.  
Blessings to all, Pastoral Care

Hope Dining Room – Monday, February 15, 2021

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Dear Families of St.Thomas and St. Nicholas,

Next Monday, February 15, 2021 is our volunteer opportunity at Hope Dining room. We can only have 5 masked-people in the kitchen at once (COVID rules). Serving is done  as a “grab and go” from a table in the front of the room. Our guests come in one door, walk across the room, grab their lunch and go out the other door, 6 feet apart. ALL of them are masked, as well.

If you are free on Monday, February 15, 2021 we have a job for YOU! We begin preparing the meal at 10 a.m. at Kingswood Methodist Church on Marrows Road in Brookside Park. If you volunteer, you will be finished by shortly after noon. The kitchen manager and I will stay for the serving duty from 12 – 1 p.m.

Here is the Sign Up Genius for the cookies and the volunteers:  
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DACA72AAAFF2-hope6  

You may drop off your donations at St. Thomas’s on  Wednesday or Thursday from 9 – noon, or on Sunday, immediately before or after the service. If those times do not work for you, I am happy to pick them up at your door.  Give me a call or email me.

MANY Blessings for your care of the hungry,  
Madeline Johnson   

Hope Dining Room on Monday January 18, 2021

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Dear Families of St. Thomas’s and St. Nicholas,

Next Monday, January 18, 2021 is our Hope Dining Room day! We can have 5 masked-people in the kitchen at a time and serving is done from a table in the front of the room as a “grab and go”.  Our guests come in one door and walk across the room, grab lunch and go out the other door – 6 feet or more apart.  ALL of them are masked as well.

If you are free on Monday, January 18, 2021we have a job for you! We begin preparing the meal at Kingswood Methodist Church on Marrows Rd. in Brookside, at 10 a.m. and serve it from 12 – 1 p.m. Here is the Sign Up Genius for the fruit cups, cookies and volunteers:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DACA72AAAFF2-hope5

You may drop off your donations of food at St. Thomas’s on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday from 9 a.m. – noon. If those times don’t work for you, give me a call or email and I will pick it up at your door.

Many Blessings,
Madeline Johnson   mad1240@comcast.net

Outreach Report for December 2020 and January 2021

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Our Hope Dining Room service with St. Nicholas happened on Dec. 21, 2020.  We prepared 55 meals,  served 36 of them and took 19 to the Newark Empowerment Center. We also provided MANY toiletries and cookies for the Christmas Goodie bags for the guests at Hope Dining Room.

We joined forces with St. Nicholas to provide mittens, hats and socks for the tiny children at St. Michaels Day Nursery in downtown Wilmington. I delivered all of our collection to St. Nicholas on January 10, 2021.

Two years ago our CREW (teens) collected warm sweaters, coats, scarves, gloves and socks for use at Code Purple which did not happen 2 years ago, because of the mild winter.  There were only 3 Code Purples called and we didn’t get any of them – they were done by 3 other churches in Newark. This year, Code Purple can’t be done in the churches, because of the pandemic. So, after consultation with Kelly Tompkins and Belinda, I took all the boxes of warm clothes to the Newark Empowerment Center. They will keep some of the items and send some to the Hope Center, where many of our homeless friends are staying.

I would like to THANK all of our St. Thomas’s family for their generosity and care for people who truly need help.  The needs are many and St. Thomas’s always steps up, royally!!!   BLESS you ALL!!!

Respectfully submitted,
Madeline Johnson

St. Michael’s Day School and Nursery Outreach

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Merry Christmas, St. Thomas’s family!  Every year, St. Nicholas Parish provides help to the St. Michael’s Day Nursery in downtown Wilmington. It is the oldest early childhood education program in Delaware and was started in 1890! They provide high quality, affordable childcare and early education to children, 8 weeks old to 5 years old.

St. Nicholas collects mittens, hats and socks for those tiny children and we would like to supplement their collection.  St. Thomas’s has done LOTS of outreach lately and PLEASE do not feel you must participate in ALL of it – that’s kind of overwhelming!

There is a box outside the St. Thomas’s office if you would like to contribute any of those items. They will be delivered to St. Nicholas on January 10, 2021. You still have time to knit  🙂

Many Blessings to ALL,  
Madeline Johnson     mad1240@comcast.net 

Christmas 2020 Outreach items with Tarbiyah due Dec. 10, 2020

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Our wish list is filling out and the enthusiasm for the project with Tarbiyah School is spreading through the Parish.  Thank you everyone who has shopped and donated. Our coat collection is growing and our diaper donation, with the exception of pull-ups, has been met.  There is still room for hats, gloves, candy, books, toys!  And of course – coats!  It’s cold outside. ?

The date by which we need your donations is December 10, 2020*.  We will be putting the goody bags together ? and doing final shopping this coming weekend. Everything will be delivered to Tarbiyah on December 15, 2020. 

 2020 has been an unusual and difficult year.  Whatever you can give is meaningful and appreciated. GIving brings both the giver and the receiver sparks of joy- something we all need at this time.  The joy we give and get brings this season’s meaning close.

Again, thanks to all at St. T’s, you are wonderful!

* if you have ordered something that has not yet arrived, let us know so our shopping lists reflect your gift. If you need something picked up, that can be arranged.  See more information at Tarbiyah or how to give.

Jill Englund Jensen

Small hotel-size toiletries for Hope Dining Room

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Good Morning families of  St. Thomas’s and St. Nicholas,

On December 18, 2020, Hope Dining Room gives each person who comes to pick up lunch, a goodie bag. The items in the bag are being provided by all the churches that serve, during the month. We are donating hotel-size toiletries and cookies.

I think we have the cookies covered, but we are still in need of small toiletries. There is a box just outside the office at St. Thomas’s, labeled “Hope Dining Room”.  If you have any small toiletries to share, the door at St. Thomas’s is open Monday – Thursday from 9 a.m. – noon. If you can’t make that schedule, give me a call, and I will pick them up at your house.

Many Blessings to all,
Madeline Johnson   mad1240@comcast.net