Dear friends,
The holiday season is upon us, and although a Coronatide Thanksgiving and Christmas will be different in many ways, some things remain the same. One is that part of many people’s holiday traditions include helping others.
Of course, helping others is not just a tradition for the holidays. The people of St. Dunstan’s have helped and helped and helped throughout this year. As I said in my sermon yesterday, I have been astounded and grateful for all you have done and continue to do.
So here I am asking you to help others in two ways in the coming weeks.
The first is to help provide Christmas for families who are served by Emmaus House, an Episcopal ministry in Peoplestown (the neighborhoods around the old Turner Field). The pandemic has changed the way Emmaus House is helping families this year. Instead of adopting families to provide Christmas for, we are asked to provide $25 gift cards to Target, Walmart, or Visa. The cards will be given to the adults so that they can shop for their families’ needs.
You can donate directly to Emmaus House at www.emmaushouse.org/donate. Fill out your information, including the donation amount, and check the Holiday Gift Card Donations box. These online donations must be received by December 1.
Or you can bring or mail the cards to St Dunstan’s and we will deliver them. If you choose this option and would like to add a teddy bear, stuffed animal, or ball to hand out to children when their families pick up the cards, we would be happy to deliver them as well.
Please have these to the church by December 9. If no one is at church you can put the cards through Dunstan’s cat door in my office and put stuffed animals or balls in the container on the deck by my door.
The second way to help others is actually one we have been doing since March, and that is supporting the Sandy Springs PopUp Food Pantry with donations of food. The pantry gave out extra food last week in anticipation of being closed this week. In fact, their cupboards are literally bare. So they are in need of everything when they reopen on Tuesday, December 1.
Pantry founder Jennifer Lott sent me this message about what they will need:
- Cans of soup
- Cans of ravioli/spaghetti
- Ramen
- Cans of corn, green beans, or peas
- Spaghetti
- Spaghetti sauce (lots of this please)
- Peanut butter
- Jelly
- Cans of black beans
- Dry black beans
- Mac and Cheese
- Granola bars
- Oatmeal packets
- Snack stuff, like cookies
- Size 5 & 6 diapers
- Did I mention spaghetti sauce?
You can bring donations to the church. If no one is here just leave them by the front door and we will bring them in.
Finally, the service sheet for Compline this week is attached. Hope to “see” you online at 8 this evening.