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Community Service News:

TWO NEW EXCITING MISSION TRIP OPPORTUNITIES

In December, Carol Way from St. Paul’s went on one of these mission trips to Haiti, representing our parish and our Outreach Committee, investigating the need for assistance there and how we and sister parishes in Connecticut can help. Carol will be reporting to a Sunday Forum on her trip. Plans are also developing, led by Stephanie Campbell, for a fund-raising walk involving St. Timothy’s and Trinity along with St Paul’s, to assist Holy Trinity Elementary School in Port-au-Prince. If you might be interested in participating in one of the mission trips described below, please contact the Rector or Carol Way or Stephanie Campbell for more information. The visiting teams join with local participants in projects ranging from tree-planting to house-building and painting.
—Ben Brockman

Barbara Buddington and Barbara Massy [from St. James’ Episcopal Church, Glastonbury] took part in a mission trip to Haiti the first week of December, spending six days in L’Acul, a mountainous area outside of Port-au-Prince, learning about and performing tasks for CODEP (COmprehensive DEvelopment Project) a project of the Haiti Fund, Inc., a U.S. charitable organization founded by the Presbyterian Church and now largely funded by the Episcopal Church. They spent the last day of their trip in Port-au-Prince visiting our two long-term ministries there, Holy Trinity Elementary School and St. Vincent’s Center for Handicapped Children.

Administered by resident missionaries Rick and Kathy Land, CODEP reserves twenty weeks a year for visiting teams from the U.S. Until recently, there were no openings for 2008. However, Bev Fawcett (friend of the late Bobbie Grube), who led the early December trip, has offered us spaces (up to nine or ten!) on the week of November 14-21 reserved for her.

In addition, just within the last few days, the Lands have told us that they have received a cancellation for the week of March 14-21. Again, we could send up to nine or ten persons. Palm Sunday and Holy Week fall within this period, but the team would be returning to the States on Good Friday and be at home for Easter. This timing might be poor for some but a good opportunity for others. We need to determine ASAP if we have any candidates for this trip so that the Lands can offer the opportunity to others.

Bicycle Donations to DCF

The Outreach Committee, under the direction of Brian Griffin, distributed 30 bicycles to children recently entering the Department of Children and Families of Bridgeport. These bicycles are from our Annual Bicycle Collection at Christmas time. Brian stores these Christmas donations while he works with the DCF counselors to ensure that new comers to the Foster-Care program are awarded the appropriate bike for their age and size. According to Brian, many of these children had never owned a bike.
Thank you all for bringing a special joy to these children.

 

Hospice at Home
There are 27 hospice programs throughout the State of Connecticut. Through an interdisciplinary team of specially trained hospice professionals, quality end-of-life care is offered to anyone with a life limiting illness. Care is provided in the comfort of one’s own home, regardless of age or diagnosis.

Hospice at Home, a program of Visiting Nurse Services, Inc., has been providing hospice care to our community since 1981 and would be pleased to answer questions regarding hospice care and the services available to you, or your loved one. Please call 1-800-551-8671 for further information.

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Food Donation Incentive Taxpayers Please Note: The Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Act expands the deduction of donated food to fair market value and allows the taxpayer to determine the value of food donated on normal market or sale conditions. left: Donated food for St. Luke's Pantry, © photo Bill Alderman

Ct Food Bank Call for Volunteers

Seeking Saintly Sorters: Every Thursday, 10 am - 12 pm
Our St. Paul's group meets every Thursday from 10-12 to sort food from neighbor grocery stores. Do join them! The Fairfield Distribution Center of the Connecticut Food Bank is located at 74 Linwood Ave. (off North Pine St.)

Food Drive Pick-up Volunteers: CFB needs volunteers to pick up small food drive donations from the community and deliver to a CFB warehouse in East Haven, Fairfield or Waterbury. This will be on an ongoing basis, as needed.

For more information about either opportunity, please contact Tony Spinelli at (203) 459-5000, x3ll or tspinelli@ctfoodbank.org. Thank you.

The Uninsured
44 million Americans lack medical insurance. Currently most of the uninsured—eight out of ten—are in working families. Eight and a half million of the uninsured are children under the age of 18. More than one in four currently uninsured adults have encountered severe hardship in paying medical bills.
These realities affect all of us, not just the uninsured. People of faith, irrespective of our particular beliefs, cherish life and health as holy gifts.For further information, visit the Cover the Uninsured Week web site: http://covertheuninsuredweek.org/

Consumer Law Project for Elders
You can get help! If you are 60 and over, the Consumer Law Project for Elders staff is available to talk about your financial problems and offer free legal advice and assistance. Call them at 1-800-296-1467, Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1:00-4:00 pm.

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Web Sites for more Information:

AmeriCares HomeFront
AmeriCares HomeFront is the largest domestic outreach program of the AmeriCares Foundation. Since its beginning 17 years ago, HomeFront has restored Hope and given Help to over 1,953 families and community centers throughout the state of Connecticut and into Westchester and Putnam counties, New York. This effort, to help our needy neighbors, is centered on an annual one day a year housing repair blitz in which teams of 20-40 volunteers go out into the community and perform typical home repairs that keep people "warm, safe, and dry."
http://www.americareshomefront.org/AboutUs.asp

Connecticut Food Bank (CFB)
"CFB is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger by supplying food products and resources to eligible agencies throughout our service areas in Connecticut, and to promote public awareness about the problem of hunger."
http://www.ctfoodbank.org

Cover the Uninsured Week 2004
"Rising health care costs continue to undermine the ability of individuals, businesses and state governments to purchase health care coverage. Reversing this disturbing trend, elevating this issue on the national and local agendas, and creating an environment in which taking action would be required were the goals of Cover the Uninsured Week 2004." Use the "About the Issue section to get the latest information including key facts, data charts and current legislation before Congress.
http://covertheuninsuredweek.org/issue/

The Episcopal Bridgebuilders "A coalition of Episcopal churches in the Greater Bridgeport area committed to addressing the need for affordable housing in our area and the problem of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic division among our people. http://www.episcopalbridgebuilders.org/pages/923315/index.htm

Episcopal Relief and Development "Episcopal Relief and Development provides emergency assistance and rehabilitative support to people affected by natural disasters, war, and civil strife. It is the collective response of Episcopalians to help people in need in the United States and around the world." http://www.er-d.org/