In what turned out to be a two-phased initiative, the Back-to-School Supplies Collection Drive for the kids living at the current PADS hotel shelter and their distributed living facilities was a huge success.
In the first phase, members of our PADS team from Saint Joseph’s Parish “adopted” 24 kids from the PADS hotel who were scheduled to start school the week of 17 August 2020. We received a list of names, ages,grades and the supplies they needed to start the year off right. Many thanks and blessings to Peg Boivin, Julie Orbik, Theresa and Chuck Funke, RoseAnn Rooney, Karin Fortson and her step-daughter Hannah for their incredible generosity and support in the purchase, sorting and filling of the individual backpacks. We also received monetary support from other team member and for their generosity we are most grateful.
The second phase involved the general Back-to-School Supplies Collection Drive that was held this past Saturday, 22 August 2020. The main purpose was to collect school supplies for 45 more kids who live in the distributed housing facilities supported by PADS. They are scheduled to start school during the week of 7 September 2020. To you the parishioners of Saint Joseph’s Parish and the community of Homewood, a heartfelt thanks and appreciation for your most generous contributions of assorted supplies requested.
Many thanks and blessings again to the team that gathered on Saturday in the church parking lot to help with the collection of supplies including Theresa and Chuck Funke, Julie Orbik, Rita Davenport and Ruthie Austing. The success of this event would not have been possible without them.
Finally, while our world remains in flux in terms of our social, political and certainly spiritual direction, there remains a constant that continues to humble us each and every day. It is the continued generosity of those in our communities and their willingness to support those most in need.
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!" Ephesians 3:20