Theology Department
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Click here for
a list of national organizations involved with community
service.
Angel Tree - Children of prisoners need a little light at Christmas. Angel Tree is a St. David's Episcopal Church Christmas ministry in which members buy about $25 worth of presents for a child, and give them in the name of the parent in prison. Many children requests include socks and clothes. Some of the children are infants and small babies, so gifts to them include pajamas and underwear. On the whole, the children are needy. Along with the presents, an age-appropriate booklet about the Christ-child is provided. Contact: Molly Ryan 832-0458 Caritas is one of the most important non-government ecumenical ministries in Austin. It is housed by St. David's Episcopal Church, sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin and supported by All Saints' Episcopal Church as well as most of the protestant churches in town. Caritas' ministry includes screening those in need, a hot meals program, a food pantry, and coupons for clothing and household items at St. Vincent de Paul Resale Shop. Volunteers are needed at Caritas to help as often as they would like with the soup kitchen. Contact: Linda Brown 454-9850, or Caritas 472-5269 CEDEN's mission
is to promote and strengthen families in need of prenatal, early childhood
and parenting education through community-based, family-centered and
culturally comprehensive services. St. Stephen's students are active
in the Saturday morning program, helping people become fluent and literate
in English. Contact: Joann Garner 444-4925 Community Mentoring Network is a network of mentors for youth ages 10-16 who are at-risk and involved in the juvenile justice system. Volunteers give 6 hours per month with weekly telephone contact during evenings, weekends and weekdays. Mentors build a stable and enduring relationship with youth who have engaged in pre-delinquent behavior (curfew violations, truancy, cigarette smoking, etc.) or are first time offenders with the Travis County Juvenile Court. Volunteers receive training and support during the time of their commitment. This is a program of Austin Metropolitan Ministries. Contact: Joann Garner 444-4925 or Liz Alexander, AMM program coordinator 472-7627 El Buen Samaritano is the Episcopal Church's outreach mission to Near South Austin that focuses on its neighborhood families, providing hot meals to the homeless and to families in need, health care to low-income families, language and literacy classes through ESL and GED instruction, a food pantry, and special events for children and teenagers. El Buen needs volunteers for their Emergency Services to distribute food and clothing; interpreters (Spanish/English) for the Family Health Clinic; ESL Instructors, Citizenship Instructors, and data entry for the Education Classes; for the Special Events they need help with Teen Fair, Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway, and the Christmas Shopping Spree. Contact: Bette Allen 502-8488 Courtney Ward at El Buen 441-7977 Habitat for Humanity is a Christian organization that brings together families and communities in need with volunteers and resources to build decent affordable houses. Contact at Austin Habitat for Humanity · 310 Comal Street · Suite 100 · Austin, Texas 78702 · (512) 472-8788 · FAX 478-2165 · Construction HOTLINE (512)448-5287. Hospice Austin - Hospice Austin provides medical support, comfort, and companionship to make the end of life meaningful for terminally ill patients with an estimated life expectancy of six months who reside in surrounding counties. Services range from skilled nursing and medical support for pain relief to respite care and spiritual support as well as running errands. Needs volunteers to work with terminally ill patients and their families, providing companionship, transportation, and assistance for patients at home; providing respite for family members; and providing grief support after the death of a loved one. Training provided. Contact: Aldo Waker 263-7557 or Lydia Caceres, Hospice volunteer coordinator 342-4700 Loaves and Fishes: Loaves and Fishes is a ministry to the less fortunate people of Austin. Small checks are distributed to help with rent and/or utilities, Metro bus passes and food vouchers from H.E.B. Contact All Saints' Episcopal Church for more information. Meals on Wheels: Part of the nationwide movement whose mission is to deliver hot nutritious meals to the homebound, elderly and disabled. All Saints' has 50 drivers organized into teams of four. A team member is responsible for picking up pre-packaged meals at the Meals-on-Wheels central kitchen and delivering them to 10 recipients in the Central Austin area. The time commitment is approximately 45 minutes during the noon hour, once per month. Contact All Saints' Episcopal Church for more information. Interfaith Care Alliance (AIDS Care Teams) is an alliance is for helping AIDS care teams from our congregation with a person living with AIDS. The Alliance provides mentoring, and ongoing education coordination, while we facilitate peer support of team members. Needs volunteers to complete St. David's 7-person team providing compassionate support for a man or woman with AIDS by offering companionship, emotional support, or practical help with transportation and errands. Contact: Marilyn Smolinsky 441-1943, or David Smith, IFCA Director 459-5883 Meals
on Wheels & More is a ministry that
ministry cooks and delivers hot, nutritious meals to thousands of
elderly and homebound individuals everyday, serving meals from its
central kitchen and distributing food to more than a dozen satellite
locations in Austin. Volunteers are needed to deliver meals to homebound
individual once a week. MoWaM also needs volunteers on Saturdays
to do light handyman work around the homes of elderly and homebound
individuals.You can also assist by spending 2 hours twice a month
(day, evening, or weekend) with the Groceries to Go program. Other
MoWam programs include MediWheels and Care Calls. Contact: Allyson
Hein -- 257-1792, or Javier Garza, MoWaM director 476-6325 Next-to-New - This is a consignment shop that manages estate sales and generates
income for St. David's Episcopal
Church's local outreach ministries. Need volunteers to give 4 hours
per week working on the floor with customers, pricing consigned goods,
operating the computer, or preparing for estate sales. Half of the
proceeds of the Next-to-New Shop are allocated to local charities and
social service agencies by St. David's. The other half go to restore
our old church. Contact: Linda Robinson 459-1288 The Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief responds to those in need in the United States and around the world, bringing hope, building community, and touching lives. Contact: PBFWR, 815 Second Ave., NY NY 10017; visit www.pbfwr.org. Donations may be made by calling 1-800-334-7626 ext. 5129 or by dropping a check in Sunday's offering plate.
St. David's Emergency Homeless Shelter is opened in Eden's Center when the temperature drops below 32 degrees.
The shelter may be opened Monday and Friday evenings, in cooperation
with other downtown churches. There are various duties such as distributing
blankets, cooking meals, serving meals etc. Different shifts are available
as the shelter allows the people to stay until after breakfast. Food
and blankets are provided for overnight guests.
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