PASCO/HERNANDO HOSPICE (serving a tri-county area). Outreach Ministry team members made quilts, crocheted & knitted afghans and sewed neck pillows for patients in the various Hospice houses. Our ladies also sewed aprons for the volunteers who work in the Hospice houses.
CHILDREN'S HOSPICE PROGRAM (C.A.P.) Tri-County Area.
Spring Camp for an average of 80 recently bereaved children is held each March. Our Outreach Ministry fills hand-made "DITTY" bags for each child filled with toiletries, note-pads, pencils and a toy. Day Camps are held each summer for terminally-ill children in the local community for which we provide craft supplies. For the past 10 years, Outreach has hosted the Annual Teddy Bears' Picnic where we give bears we've collected throughout the year to the Children's Hospice program, as well as providing quilts for the children throughout the year. Two of our members make a large quilt each year for auction at their Quilt Guild. The money is then donated to Children's Hospice to assist in the expense of the local spring & summer camps for the children in hospice.
GULF-COAST COMMUNITY SERVICES (Maryland Avenue Shelter for homeless women and children)
Baby quilts, toys and games, blankets & pillows are donated throughout the entire year. Twice this past year we contributed 30 new pillows to the shelter. Each Christmas gift bags are filled for every mom and every child in the shelter: clothes, slippers, toys, games, toiletries. Gifts of teddy bears and stuffed toys are also bought/delivered to the shelter on every holiday throughout the year: St. Valentine's Day, Easter, 4th of July, Back to School Days, Thanksgiving, etc. After our annual TOY SUNDAY, sack of toys/games/stuffed animals are also delivered in time for Christmas.
"HOLY GROUND" Homeless Shelter for families has been the recipients of 30 pillows this year, along with deliveries of blankets, crocheted/knitted large afghans, bedding & towels, and variety of bed linens also provided when the shelter was devastated by a tornado in May.
RUNAWAY ALTERNATE PROJECT (R.A.P.) HOUSE
Deliveries made at various times throughout the year consisted of blankets, pillows, hats, scarves, mittens, and clothes for the teens housed at the R.A.P. House. (Duration of their stay varies from two or three days up to three months, depending on an as-needed basis. Some of these children are picked up from abusive, violent home situations or off the streets in the early hours of the morning. They often just have the clothes they are wearing. Back to school time, Outreach provides underwear and school supplies. At holiday times we always make a special delivery that includes lots of gifts for everyone at Christmas time. We also make and deliver "DITTY" bags filled with toiletries (usually 20 to 26 items) throughout the year.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Volunteers go on an annual visit to help with the mission of building and/or repairing churches, schools, and teaching children in the poorest areas of the Dominican Republic. As you have seen in the media, this area of the world is often hit by hurricanes, earthquakes, and flooding. Outreach assists with school supplies and quilts.
"CYESIS" "New Beginnings" Nursery (Attached to Marchman Tech Training Center)
This nursery "CYESIS" takes care of new babies through toddlers up to 4 years of age. It is part of the local Technical Training School. The nursery serves yound women (14 to 17 years of age: children having children). This center has been in existence for 16 years and Outreach has assisted for 10 of those years with knitted baby clothes, shawls, blankets and quilts. Also, we have collected and donated baby formula and diapers and/or Gift Certificates (especially at start of school year and during the Christmas season) to help with the expenses of the young students for their babies.
JAMES E. HAYLEY VETERANS' HOSPITAL
Members of Outreach have knitted and crocheted afghans for the returning wounded troops areo-vacced from overseas areas to the local Veterans' Hopistals. Quilts have been sewn and delivered on a monthly basis throughout the year.
FISHER HOUSE where families of Veterans stay while visiting their returned, wounded heroes who returned from Afghanistan and Iraq primarily. Visit often occurs on short notice from the military and families often arrive in need of toiletries. "DITTY" bags of toiletries are made and filled and then delivered to the Fisher House for family members.
ATHENA HOUSE -for Homeless Women Veterans
The only one of its kind in all of the USA...it comes under the purview of an organization knows as "TAMPA CROSSROADS" It is on the state's historical register and was restored/renovated for the express use of housing 16 homeless women vets. Our "OUTREACH" Ministry helped initially with making quilts for the 16 beds in the house and have also delivered "DITTY" bags on a regular basis since the house opened 3 years ago.
MIS-FLORIDA COMMUNITY SERVICES
Covers a four-county area (including ours - PASCO county). Takes care of children in need. We contribute toys, games, stuffed animals with "SANTA SACK" at Christmas time after our annual "TOY SUNDAY" has taken place on the first Sunday in December.
"TOYS FOR TOTS" Annual toy drive started by U.S. Marine Corps volunteers for collecting toys each Christmas Time. In the 10 years since start of war in Afghanistan and then in Iraq, Marine resources have been taxed to the max to provide numbers of volunteers needed to assist in this annual Christmas project. So we who make up the "OUTREACH" Ministry of St Martin's Episcopal Church volunteered to help the Marines, thereby helping children in need in our local community.
"HEADSTART" Program. These are pre-kindergarten children in need. We assist by collecting toys for the local group of "Headstar" kids, especially at Christmas time.
ALL CHILDREN'S OF PASCO This organization includes 6 hospitals/clinics for children in need who otherwise would not get the medical care they need. Our 'OUTREACH" Ministry volunteers to collect toys, games, pillows, blankets at Christmas Time.
CHASCO ELEMENTARY AND HUDSON ELEMENTARY & MIDDLE SCHOOLS All three schools in our local area have many children in need registered. Our "OUTREACH" Ministry helps to provide schools supplies each August along with underwear and clothes. In addition food collected is delivered to the needy children in these 3 schools each week.
"FRESH WATER" Retirement Center BAYONET POINT HOME (& HOSPICE). These are all Respite Centers for mentally challenged young people - up to age 18, and also for Sr. Citizens in our local community who suffer from either dementia or Alzheiners. RED APPLE provides a safe place for both groups to be cared for on a daily basis thereby giving their families some respite from the constant care that these young and elderly people need and require. We in "OUTREACH" Ministry provide the "Red Apple" Assn. with craft and sewing supplies, knitting yarn & needles, games & jigsaw puzzles, hand puppets and all manner of things to assist them in their vocational classes. Donations are made five or six times a year, depending upon what we collect for their important work. We also provide special gifts at Easter and Christmas time.
