Committee Co-Chairs: Kathy and John Lyons (301-570-5577)

St. Patrick’s has many dedicated parishioners who support a large number of programs of Christian service in our community. This pamphlet provides information about our programs and how you can become involved in them by volunteering a couple of hours per month. Each program is headed by a parishioner who runs the program independently but with the support of

Monsignor Kane, the Social Concerns Committee and other volunteer

parishioners. Each of the programs is briefly summarized in the following pages.

By participating in our programs, you have the opportunity to respond to the Scriptures and the principles of Catholic social teaching. In Pastoral Reflections on the Social Mission of the Parish our biships stated, "We need to build local communities of faith where our social teaching is central, not fringe; where social ministry is integral, not optional; where it is the work of every believer, not just the mission of a few committed people and committees." St. Patrick’s programs pursue social justice by working to provide short-term relief to, and bring about long-term solutions to problems of, the poor and vulnerable.

Each and every program discussed in this pamphlet needs the active involvement of many people to succeed and thrive. A couple of well established programs require new leaders immediately. Others need additional volunteers to lighten the load and prepare for an orderly succession of leadership. Please take the time to review the summaries in this pamphlet and consider how you can contribute your time and talent to one or more of them.

For more information about St. Patrick’s Social Concerns Committee and its various service programs, please contact Kathy or John Lyons, or the leader of any of the programs. In addition, look for announcements about ongoing activities in the Social Concerns Corner of the Sunday bulletin. Thank you.

April 2001

• St. Patrick’s provides emergency financial assistance for rent, utilities, prescriptions, and other emergency situations.
• Requests for financial assistance are evaluated and a course of action is recommended to the Social Concerns treasurer.
• Contact Vince Pistolessi via the Rectory, or Joe Speicher at 301-774-5595.

• The rectory distributes bags of food to people who come to the door.
• Parishioners maintain the pantry by stocking the shelves and preparing bags of food for distribution.
• Contact Phyllis DiMarzio at 301-460-9785.

• The Legislative Network works in conjunction with the central office of the Archdiocese and other parishes to affect legislation related to social concerns issues, including pro-life activities as well as the Norbeck Road and Georgia Avenue widening and improvements study.
• Parishioners lobby state legislators on one day during the session, write to legislators, and participate in phone trees to disseminate issue information.
• Contact John Lyons at 301-570-5577.

• Caretakers of the seriously ill often are not able to leave their homes even for short periods for shopping or recreation.
• Parishioners relieve caretakers for a few hours.
• Contact Lisa Mix at 301-924-8262, or Mary Twillman at 301-598-0188.

• Each weekly poor box collection is designated for a different charitable organization that requests assistance.
• Parishioners evaluate requests and plan the sequence of collections for the Pastor’s review.
• Contact Shirley Adams at 301-929-1447.

• A number of parishioners need transportation to Mass on Sundays.
• Parishioners arrange to give rides to and from Mass.
• Contact Steve Goldhammer at 301-570-9613.

• A number of nearby shelters need help delivering services to their clients.
• Parishioners prepare and deliver meals to the shelters, including a Christmas breakfast, as well as facilitate donations of furniture, household items, clothing and personal items to the shelters and families in transition.
• Support Our Lady of Grace in Leisure World in distributing monthly food collection and other donations to local shelters and families in transition.
• Contact Joe or Ann Cardaci at 301-460-4838.

• Through volunteer organizations, SOME in Washington, D.C., serves two meals per day to a large number of homeless. St. Patrick’s provides the main meal on the first Sunday of every month.
• Parishioners help in three main ways:
• Many prepare meatloaf, a starch, a dessert, or give large cans of green beans.
• Some participate in a monthly reminder phone tree.
• Others receive and organize the food and contributions at the Parish Center.
• Still others deliver the food to SOME, and reheat and prepare it for serving.
• Contact Bob or Barbara Hoffman (food collection and phone tree) at 301-871-1266, or Bill Nolan (food delivery) at 301-774-7921.

• St. Martin’s in Gaithersburg serves a large community of poor families. The parish needs assistance in stocking its pantry. St. Patrick’s collects food donations on the third Sunday of every month.
• Parishioners collect packaged food in St. Patrick’s parking lot and deliver it.
• Contact Jim Riley at 301-774-4099.

• Coupons from Sunday newspaper supplements are collected, sorted, and used to obtain food, which is then given to shelters.
• Many parishioners donate coupons, which are collected from the ushers’ room and delivered to Glenmont United Methodist Church twice a month.
• Contact Jim Riley at 301-774-4099.

• Assumption Parish in Anacostia supports many very poor families through its food pantry.
• Each year on Thanksgiving day (9:00 -11:00 a.m.), St. Patrick’s collects food to help Assumption replenish its pantry for the winter. The food is delivered to Assumption the next day.
• Contact Georgine DeBord 301-460-0151.

• St. Patrick’s coordinates the efforts of several organizations in zip codes 20853 and 20906 to provide Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner and children’s gifts to local families in need (approximately 150 for Thanksgiving and 90 at Christmas).
• You can help in different ways:
• A number of St. Patrick’s parishioners have found it extremely rewarding to "adopt" one or more families and personally put together and deliver the "baskets" at either Thanksgiving or Christmas, or both.
• For Thanksgiving, food "baskets," including turkeys, provided by St. Patrick’s, local companies and individuals are organized and distributed from St. Patrick’s Parish Center on the Tuesday afternoon and evening before Thanksgiving.
• Contact Mary Bennett at 301-570-3534, Kathy Lyons at 301-570-5577, Lisa Mix at 301-924-8262, or Jim Torri at 301-460-1355.
• For Christmas, St. Patrick’s sets up a "Gift Tree" with the names, ages and genders of children for whom parishioners provide gifts. Gifts are also collected for the Catholic Spanish Center and food and gifts for Catholic Charities. In addition, St. Patrick’s dedicates a special collection a couple of weeks before Christmas, the proceeds of which are used to purchase turkey, fresh fruits and vegetables, and canned and packaged goods for Christmas dinner. On the Sunday before Christmas at St. Patrick’s Parish Center, parishioners organize, assemble and distribute the food baskets and toys.
• Conact Joe and Jeannie Raia at 201-598-3629, or Janet Smith at 301-598-6183.

• At Christmas, SOME collects and distributes to the homeless shoe box gift packages containing warm clothing and toiletries.
• Parishioners purchase recommended items to create a "shoe box" gift.
• Contact Barbara Hoffman at 301-871-1266.