OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVOLVEMENT

BLANKET SUNDAY
The Diocesan St. Vincent de Paul Society sponsors this drive in October as an annual collection of new and like-new blankets, sheets, pillow cases, towels or wash cloths to help needy families, children and elderly. Clean, usable items are needed; cash donations are accepted. Help is always needed for sorting, packing and transporting donated items. Dates and additional details can be found in the bulletin.

BUNDLE SUNDAY
Bundle Sunday is held in the fall and spring. Its purpose is to collect small household items and clothing for families in need. These items are placed in a St. Vincent de Paul truck parked in the rear of the Church parking lot. Specific information as to dates and location can be found in the bulletin.

WEST SIDE CATHOLIC CENTER
Clothing is sorted each Wednesday at the West Side Catholic Center, 3135 Lorain Ave. It is a simple, fun job and is also one of the Corporal Works of Mercy. Please join us from 8:15 AM -- 12:30 PM. Transportation is provided. Drivers and sorters are always needed and welcome..

HAMS, TURKEY OR OTHER MEATS
During the holiday or other times of the year, meat items are always needed. Please place them in the refrigerator or freezer in kitchen, which is located behind the gym. For details call Tish at 871-1100.

HELPING HANDS - THANKSGIVING FOOD BASKETS
During November, families are invited to prepare food baskets (non-perishable items) to be placed near the altar. Meats such as hams or turkeys are also needed. Baskets are distributed to needy families.

HOLIDAY PUMPKIN PIES
Both St. Augustine and St. Procop sponsor meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The parishes need 500 pies for dessert for these meals. Social Concerns will supply the pie crusts and canned pumpkin -- you supply the eggs, milk, spices, time and love. It's easy! Pie shells are handed out after masses in November. Baked and frozen pies are returned to the freezer. Check the parish calendar for specific dates.

CHRISTMAS TOY DRIVE
The annual drive for new or like-new toys is held the weekend before Thanksgiving. The toys are collected for distribution to St.Augustine, St. Malachi Center and Providence House. The toys are collected and given to parents to provide Christmas presents to their children, which they could not otherwise afford. Monetary donations are also accepted. Volunteers are always needed to sort, pack and transport the collected toys to these agencies..

ADOPT-A-FAMILY
Each Advent, St. Raphael "adopts" a number of area families who are in need. Parish organizations, families and individual parishioners are invited to help others have a special Christmas which they might not otherwise be able to have. Gift ideas (clothes, toys, etc.) are placed on "Christmas tree" bulletin boards near the church doors and donors returned the wrapped item to the Christmas boxes underneath. The gifts collected are distributed to families in a way that safeguards their dignity. Parishioners are encouraged to submit the name of a needy family to one of the priests or members of the Pastoral Staff or a member of the Social Concerns. Volunteers are always needed to help assemble the packages for the families and deliver them.

MITTEN TREE
Social Concerns is actively looking for a youth group that will sponsor this annual collection. In years past, hats, gloves and mittens were collected and hung on the tree placed in the Church. Items are used by Adopt-A-Family and taken to centers for distribution. If your girl or boy scout troop or PSR or Pre-school religion class would like to take on this collection, please call Pat at 835-1162.

COAT COLLECTION
Coats are collected by the Guild in early December. Watch the bulletin for details.

CHILDREN CLOTHING DRIVE (JANUARY/FEBRUARY)
Open your heart and your closets and share those items that are clean and useable. Children's clothing collected will be disbursed to Birthright, Providence House and West Side Catholic Center.

"HARVEST FOR HUNGER"
Each March St. Raphael supports the "Harvest for Hunger" Food Drive. Food and funds raised are used in the Greater Cleveland Community to support the hunger centers. Please place food items in the food bins.

ST. AUGUSTINE MEAL PROGRAM
Once a month, St. Raphael serves a meal and help is needed. This could be a fun, rewarding day for you or the whole family. Parish organizations have also participated and are always welcome. Help prepare the meal from 8 to 9:30 AM, serve the meal from 10:30 AM to 12 PM, clean up from 12:00 to 1 PM or stay the whole day! Mass is celebrated at 8:30 and 10 AM (Mass signed for the Deaf community); volunteers are welcome to join St. Augustine parishioners and the Deaf community for Mass. All ages are welcome; 20 volunteers are needed for each meal. Dates for the meal are published in the bulletin.

ST. MALACHI: SANDWICHES & MEALS
Volunteers are needed to help prepare and distribute sandwiches to "knights and ladies of the road," Monday through Saturday from 8:30 AM to Noon and Noon to 3:30 PM and on Sundays from 8:30 to 10 AM and 10:20 AM to 1 PM. Call St. Malachi parish at 861-5343.

CARING & SHARING
One project young people can do is prepare sandwiches for St. Malachi at St. Raphael. The young people can collect the needed ingredients or Social Concerns can provide them. Donations of pretzels, chips or cookies, rice, noodles, beans, vegetables, etc., may be placed on the top shelf of the food bins. St. Malachi Church serves a meal every Monday evening. Volunteers are needed to make a casserole once a month for a meal.

FRAGAPANE BAKERY DELIVERY
Volunteers are needed to deliver baked goods from Fragapane Bakery to St. Malachi, West Side Catholic Center, and St. Augustine Sundays through Saturdays.

LENT: "FOR I WAS HUNGRY AND YOU GAVE ME TO EAT"
During Lent, families are encouraged to contribute to the needs of hungry people. Money saved from serving simple meals, gifts from allowances or family generosity is placed in a special envelope and the family checks off the name of a local hunger center. Funds collected during Lent are then donated to the Hunger Center to enable them to provide meals to hungry individuals and families.

LENT: "NEIGHBORS WHO CARE"
Each Lent St. Raphael reaches out to neighbors (working or living) in our community of low income who have special needs. Items of need are placed in a basket at the doors of the Church. Please watch the bulletin for details.

"CHRISTMAS IN JULY" FOOD COLLECTION
Summer is a difficult time for programs serving poor people. Although hungry people continue to come each day, donations Hunger Centers are few and supplies run short. The "Christmas in July" program attempts to provide the Hunger Centers supported by St. Raphael with a large donation of food to help them continue operating during the summer. The specific needs of the hunger centers are listed in a special insert in the bulletin.

BACK TO SCHOOL DRIVE
St. Vincent de Paul Society sponsors a school supply drive for children of low income families. Parishioners are asked to contribute school supplies, which are then made into individual packets. Each packet collected contains notebook, ruler, package of #2 pencils, box of 16 crayons, soft pencil case, glue stick, package of paper, 3 pocket folders, and box of washable markers (8). Cash donations are appreciated also! Bags to place items in are at the doors of the Church. The collection is the first and second week of August. Packages are delivered to St. Colman's and West Side Catholic Center.

DONUT SALES
Social Concerns sponsors 2 or 3 donut sales during the year, proceeds of which benefit the charities served by Social Concerns. Volunteers are needed to help sell donuts for 30 minutes after Mass on the Sundays Social Concerns is sponsoring the donut sale.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST & CAFÉ RAPHAEL
Sponsored by Social Concerns, these events are held after the Saturday or Sunday Masses during the year, typically two Sundays prior to Thansgiving.  Parishioners and their families have the opportunity to socialize together, strengthening the bonds of community. These functions are free; donations benefit the "Adopt-a-Family" and "Neighbors that Care" programs. Volunteers of all ages are needed for setup, cooking, serving, and cleanup.

ST. MALACHI CENTER RAFFLE
St. Malachi Center sponsors a raffle held on Memorial Day. Tickets are $20.

ONGOING FOOD & CLOTHING COLLECTION THE BINS
St. Raphael collects and distributes food and clothing on an ongoing basis. Donations can be placed in the bins in the hall across from the book rack. Seasonal clothing is always needed. Due to the quantity of clothing that the SVDP or Westside Catholic Center distributes, it is very important that donated clothing be of good quality, clean, and in good repair. Time spent stitching up torn seams, sewing on buttons or fixing a broken zipper is much appreciated -- and lets your clothing donation be put to good use.

LIFE SKILLS
This involves helping men to help themselves, such as writing resumes, etc. They can use clothing (in order to go on interviews-suits, slacks, sport coats, shirts, ties).

JOB SEARCH ASSISTANCE
The Social Concerns Ministry is offering a job search assistance to help people who are seeking new career opportunities.  This can include resume and cover letter preparation, and interviewing skills.  If you are interested or would like more information, please call Dave Sovol at 835-8653.

PROFILES OF HUNGER CENTERS

ST. AUGUSTINE (216-781-5530)
St. Augustine Church is located at 2486 West 14 Street in the Tremont area of Cleveland. Its many ministries include the Diocesan Catholic Deaf Community, the Catholic Blind Community and outreach to persons with mental illness and their families. Founded in 1860 to serve the generally poor and largely Irish immigrants coming into the area, St. Augustine has always served the many needs of the people of the South Side. Although the population has changed over the years, many needs are the same. St. Augustine sponsors a daily meal program which serves 250-400 per day, depending on the time of the month and season of the year. Volunteers from St. Raphael serve a monthly meal. Special meals are also served on major holiday to thousands of people throughout the city. St. Augustine distributes clothing and provides emergency aid. St. Raphael also sponsors special programs at St. Augustine like the Christmas Toy and Gift Sale, which allows parents to provide gifts for their children at Christmas.

BAY FOOD MINISTRY
Bay Food Ministry was founded in 1988. The program is located at Bay Presbyterian Church, but is an effort of the whole community to serve hunger needs in the community. Food is provided for three days to those in need. It began serving twenty families per month and has grown to serve forty-five families monthly. The Bay Food Ministry is supported by food and cash donations; volunteers pack groceries on the last Thursday of the month. For more information, contact Amy Kurtz at 835-6587.

ST. MALACHI-MALACHI CENTER-MALACHI HOUSE (216-861-5343)
St. Malachi Church, located at 2459 Washington, was founded in 1865 to serve the Irish immigrants living along the Cuyahoga River and the area known as "the Angle." St. Malachi has a long history of serving the needs of poor and homeless people in the community. For many years, St. Malachi has had a "back door ministry" to street people and a meal program. St. Malachi Center was established in 1985 by the Parish and the Community of St. Malachi to serve the residents of the Near West Side area, especially the development of area youth and children. The Center also hosts and sponsors activities for church, community and school. St. Raphael donates time, food and funds to assist this ministry.

ST. PATRICK (216-631-6872)
St. Patrick Church, located at 3602 Bridge Avenue, was founded in 1853 by Irish immigrants as the fourth Catholic church in the city of Cleveland. Numerous programs and activities take place at St. Patrick and include the Near West Side Ecumenical Food Center, Tuesday Meals Program, Wednesday Meal Program, Near West Side Summer Youth Theater and Near West Side Community Program. Hundreds of people benefit from these programs. St. Raphael parishioners donate time, food and funds to assist the work done at St. Patrick. For more information, contact Marilyn Maher at 835-0674.

ST. PROCOP (216-861-6297)
St. Procop Church, located at 3181 West 41 Street, was founded in 1872 to serve the needs of Bohemian immigrants. As the years have gone by, St. Procop has become an "all nations" parish. Each Friday night, the parish welcomes needy, lonely or elderly people for fellowship and a hot meal. Four teams, of which three are from the parish, organize, cook, serve and clean-up the meal. St. Raphael supports St. Procop with Thanksgiving and Christmas pumpkin pies and food and cash donations throughout the year.

WEST SIDE CATHOLIC CENTER (216-631-4741)
The West Side Catholic Center, located at 3135 Lorain Avenue, was founded in 1977 by the parishes of the Central West Deanery to better serve residents of the Near West Side. The Center welcomes more than 200 persons each day and distributes clothing to more than 1,400 persons each month. The Center also runs a homeless shelter, which provides an average of 280 nights of shelter each month to homeless women and children, many of whom are abused. St. Raphael supports the West Side Catholic Center with donations of food, clothing and money. A group of parishioners also volunteer sorting clothing each week.

DONATIONS TO CATHOLIC HUNGER CENTERS -- THE LOCK BOX SYSTEM
In response to concerns about mismanagement and misuse of donations, Catholic Charities began a centralized accounting system for all Catholic Hunger Fund recipients. Donations are sent to a central location and credited to the particular Hunger Center account. Cash donations from St. Raphael Social Concerns Commission are sent directly to the Hunger Center c/o the Catholic Hunger and Shelter Network, P.O. Box 71305; Cleveland, OH 44191. These Centers include: St. Augustine Hunger Center, #977 St. Patrick Hot Meal, #972 The Social Concerns Commission sends donations to Centers which do not participate in the Catholic Hunger and Shelter Network (such as Bay Food Ministry, St. Procop, Westside Catholic Center and St. Malachi) to the agency/parish directly.

ST. HERMAN'S HOUSE OF HOSPITALITY (216-631-9860)
St. Raphael also supports the work of St. Herman's through the donation of food and men's clothing. The House of Hospitality is located at 4410 Franklin Blvd.


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