It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:38
Our parish has a wonderful tradition of service to those less fortunate. One of the ways we share is by visiting shelters and preparing meals for the hungry. Many hands make for light work and we can always use some people to join in this outreach!
A small group of parishioners visits the Missionaries of Charity, a Hospice Home, in Washington the 2nd Saturday of each month. The Missionaries of Charity were started by Mother Teresa. All Missionaries of Charities are Roman Catholics who vow themselves to chastity, poverty, obedience, and wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor. Once a month our parishioners visit one of the homes in Washington, D.C. run by the Missionaries of Charity to take and serve dinner for about 50 people. This home is a dedicated Hospice facility to care for people with advanced AIDS. Our parishioners leave the church parking lot at 7:00 AM and return at 10:15 AM.
If you are not an early morning person and would like to help….Other members of our parish visit Carpenter Shelter in Alexandria the second Tuesday each month. While visiting they prepare and serve dinner to about fifty guests. They leave Reston at 4:30 PM. and return about 7:40 PM. If you would like to help but these times do not work for your schedule you can make a casserole (recipes are easy) at your home and deliver to those who will be going!
Additionally, on the second Sunday of each month (May – September), we have a generous group of people who drive to So Others Might Eat (SOME) in Washington. They prepare and serve breakfast to as many as three hundred people. They leave the church parking lot at 5:45 AM and return at 9:30 AM.
You need not make a monthly commitment – any time would be appreciated.
For further information about volunteering with the SJN community at SOME please contact Jonathan Funaki (703) 742-3763 or funakij@aacrao.org.
For further information about volunteering with the SJN community at Carpenter Shelter or Missionaries of Charity please call Rita Schoka at (703) 476-4496.