Feeding Ministries Update

Parishioners may be sheltering in place and not personally involved in donating, shopping, preparing, serving, transporting, and giving food to the poor, hungry, and homeless, but their presence in All Saints’ Feeding Ministries is still alive and well in how these ministries are carrying on:

Transition House – The last All Saints dinner night was on Sunday, March 8 shortly before restrictions went into effect. At first, Transition House asked food providers to deliver cooked food to the shelter door where it was taken by staff members who did final preps and served dinner. Transition House has now contracted with Arnoldi’s Café to provide evening food service in the shelter. The cost of the dinners on All Saints’ dates will be covered by money in the Transition House food account which has been donated by very generous parishioners.

Victoria Hotel – The free hot dinners provided twice weekly by PATH and transported by All Saints volunteers were stopped when restrictions went into effect. The Outreach Committee has generously granted funds to buy one dinner per week for each hotel resident. A caring parishioner who is an excellent cook has volunteered to cook and deliver a second meal per week for each resident, and arrangements are being made to accept her kind offer.

FoodBank distribution in Carpinteria – In the March distribution on Wednesday, March 18, Carpinteria middle and high school students took the place of All Saints volunteers and augmented community volunteers to make the distribution go smoothly using a drive-through format. Distributions are now being made weekly on Wednesdays at Carpinteria High School, and reportedly 445 families were served on Wednesday, April 1. The United Boys and Girls Club is assisting Carpinteria Children’s Project in organizing and managing the distributions.

Tuesday lunch service at PATH – Alpha Resource Center team members, who helped All Saints volunteers on two Tuesdays of the month, and All Saints volunteers complied with restrictions and stopped this service. Lunches are now being served by PATH residents.

Thank you to all who have contributed in any way to the success of the food ministries over the years, and we look forward to when All Saints parishioners can again be more directly involved in their activities as before or in different ways doing the work of the Lord.