Outreach Ministries at Holy Cross






	Outreach Ministries at Holy Cross “Give, and it will be given to you.” Luke 6:38 Click for HOLY CROSS CALENDAR	What is an Outreach Ministry? It is a ministry that reaches out to the community, to those in need. It is a ministry that helps and cares for others. If you would like to be a part of this important ministry, please contact Barbara Rizzo, our Outreach Ministries Chairperson, through the church office at 631-588-9509. Outreach Ministries Calendar OUTREACH & EVANGELISM MEETING SCHEDULE - Available online by clicking here. EVERY SUNDAY, Red Wagon Food Collections - Please remember to bring in your food items. They go to help feed people in our community who are in need. We have distributed a large amount of food to many families in the last several months. Help fill the red wagon in the Narthex (lobby) and thereby fill the need. Examples of items needed: peanut butter, boxed cereal, tuna, pasta, tomato sauce, mac and cheese, canned vegetables and fruits, soup, instant mashed potatoes, juice, coffee. Supermarket gift cards are always welcome, too. Thank you and God’s blessings on you! Outreach Ministries Opportunities Lake House Shelter - Holy Cross has adopted the families at the Lake House, a shelter for homeless families in Ronkonkoma. We have Easter and Halloween parties for the kids, provide them with new backpacks at the start of the school year (filled with donated school supplies), collect coats, hats and gloves for the winter, and more throughout the year. School Supplies - We collect school supplies and backpacks throughout July, August and September for distribution to needy members of our congregation and community, as well as for the Lake House shelter in Ronkonkoma, the migrant worker community in Riverhead and for a sister church in need in Wyandanch. Your generous donations make it possible each year for students in need to approach the new school year proudly. Thanksgiving / Christmas / Easter Food Baskets - Through the generous donations of food from our members, we provide needy families in our community with Thanksgiving and Christmas meals - complete with turkeys and all the fixings. Operation Christmas Child - We collect shoe boxes full of small toys, flashlights, calculators, socks and t-shirts, hard candies and toiletries that are sent to children somewhere in the world who might otherwise not receive any Christmas gifts. This year we sent out 134 shoebox gifts filled with the love of Jesus to needy children in the world. Coat Drive - Holy Cross periodically collects warm winter coats of all sizes for distribution to the needy. Valentine Goodie Cans - Filled with love and yummy things to eat. Available around Valentine’s Day to give to someone who is ill, homebound, or just in need of a hug. Easter Love Baskets - Easter Baskets filled with candy, love and the promise of Easter to be given in friendship to those who need a smile or a reminder of God’s love. Adopt-a-Family - In December, Outreach Ministries collects gifts donated by the congregation to pass on to needy families. Community Assistance Local Food Pantries on Long Island - are in dire straits, the shelves are nearly empty. Holy cross donates some of its food very locally, the Food Pantry at Five Corners and to the Riverhead Emergency Food Center at 407 Osborne Avenue, 631-727-2210. Hours: Monday thru Friday, 9:30 to 4:30. Be a Smart Shopper - Keep in mind to shop sales, you can purchase a lot more that way for each dollar you spend. Also, use your coupons. Stop and Shop often has cereal on sale at very good prices (cereal is necessary for children and usually very expensive.) Teach your children about this kind of shopping - the kind that takes care of others and their needs. Websites to Click and Care - While you are here on the Internet, why not visit www.GreaterGood.com! This site gives you the option to shop, at various retailers, with up to 15% of every purchase automatically going to the cause you select - at no extra cost. You can support local and national charities, K-12 schools and college scholarship funds. But of even greater importance, you don’t have to shop at all, you can simply go to one of their many sponsored sites and by clicking the “DONATE FREE” button, help someone in need at no cost to you (each individual site only recognizes one click per day, per person). The following sites are hot-linked to their site, or you may add them individually to your “Favorites” list: The Breast Cancer Site - that’s www.thebreastcancersite.com. This year, 43,300 mothers, sisters and friends will die from breast cancer. This site was founded on October 23, 2000 to help offer free mammograms to underprivileged women nationwide - women who will possibly go undetected, and even die - without proper screening. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women ages 40-55. 13 million women in the US over 40 have never had a mammogram. Go to this site and click on “FUND FREE MAMMOGRAMS.” The donations from this site go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The Hunger Site - that’s www.thehungersite.com. Approximately 24,000 people die each day from hunger or hunger-related causes. That translates into one person dying every 3.6 seconds - 74% of which are children. The majority of hunger related deaths are caused by chronic malnutrition. An estimated 800 million individuals - children, mothers, fathers, grandparents - simply cannot get enough to eat. Everyday, The Hunger Site makes a difference. They anticipate generating over 2.5 million cups of food each week for the world’s hungry. Go to this site and click on “HELP FEED THE HUNGRY” button to give free food. The donations from this site go to United Nations World Food Programme, Mercy Corps and America’s Second Harvest. (return to TOP of page)