Okay, here’s some good news to renew your faith in humanity. The Outreach Committee at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brunswick recently awarded a total of $43,660 to 20 nonprofit organizations. Most of them are local; all of them lift and serve those in need. The grants ranged in size from $500 to $5,000.
The services provided by these organizations run the gamut: giving access to healthy food through a food bank, a soup kitchen and a food pantry; delivering baked goods and meals to people suffering from food insecurity; providing dental and medical care to those without insurance; empowering people to move from homelessness to home; giving a haven that supports and empowers women survivors of addiction; building and restoring safe affordable homes; providing after school enrichment, academic and college/career prep for youth who are at the poverty level; empowering veterans to adjust to civilian life with dignity and independence with the aid of service canines; taking reusable materials and selling them at a very low cost; and improving the social and economic conditions of the Native American tribes in Maine. (Names of the 20 organizations are shown at the end of this article.)
The recent contributions continue St. Pau’s long tradition of using funds raised by the Church’s Annual Christmas Fair to benefit the community. Every single dollar from the Fair goes to outreach; generous contributions from parishioners significantly enhance the funds available. Over the past five years, the Outreach Committee has awarded about $200,000 to worthy organizations. During the last two years, the generous funding has continued even though the Fair has been run on a limited basis because of pandemic restrictions; moreover, the congregation hadn’t even met in person until this past November. Hallelujah!
An annual Christmas giving tree provides yet another opportunity for St. Paul’s members to tap their propensity for giving. Parishioners take a tag from the tree (e.g. “12-year-old girl needs a winter coat” or “10-year-old boy wants books and puzzles” or “8-year-old boy needs winter boots”) and then purchase the items requested.
St. Paul’s is not alone, of course, in its extraordinary generosity to organizations that serve people in need. People around here know that we’re all in this together, that being a good neighbor is a way of life, not just a clever slogan. We’re there to give a hand when another hand is held out, or even when it’s not. And that’s the way life should be.
Full disclosure: I have been an active member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for the last four years. I was first drawn to St. Paul’s by the warmth and spirit of the Rector, Carolyn Eklund. I’m constantly blown away by the Church’s abiding culture of openness and generosity. The members walk the walk, and I’m humbled to walk alongside them. And when I drive by the Church at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Union Street, I sometimes toot the horn in appreciation.
Organizations recently funded by St. Paul’s include: American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, Brunswick Student Aid, Brunswick Topsham Land Trust, ERD, Family Focus, Four Directions Development Corp., The Gathering Place, Habitat for Humanity 7 Rivers, Maine Paws for Veterans, MCHPP, Maine Council of Churches, OASIS, Preble St. Resource Center, Safe Passage, Sanctuary Baking Inc., Tedford Housing, Trinity Jubilee, Tree Street Youth, Window Dressers and Wisdoms Women.
David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com
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