(Updated Oct 2024)
During Lent of 2023, Most Blessed Sacrament asked you to participate in an Almsgiving Fundraiser to help the neediest and poorest individuals in our community. Our target amount was $10,000 and, as you know, we met and exceeded that goal in less than four weeks.
The Outreach Mission Team wanted to utilize these funds in an appropriate manner by which we were not randomly handing out cash or gift cards without background information and the verification of needs. It took some time to develop working relationships with several non-profit organizations in our area who could assist with these verification processes. We also wanted to be able to work with the Finance Council and Fr. Jerry to make exceptions in emergency situations or where a potential parish member or family might be involved.
As you know, we have spent several years working with the guests at Day By Day Warming Shelter. As their programming has changed and shifted, so has our Outreach to the homeless community. Instead of most of our outreach taking place at the shelter, we now house a small pantry in our Mission Center and have Helping Hands Care Bags at each of our worship sites for individuals who come to our office or church doors. We also participated in a Car Care Bag project at the Farmers Market this summer that invited the community to fill a bag with hygiene supplies and share them with a homeless person they encountered.
Each week our parish receives a minimum of four requests for financial assistance. Today we are happy to say we work closely with St. Vincent De Paul, The Salvation Army, Advocap, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, HELP (Homelessness, Eviction and Loss Prevention), Winnebago County Human Services, Day By Day, and several other local agencies to direct individuals to the proper resources, allow information to be verified, and work with the agencies to provide the appropriate assistance. In some instances, once a referral to the proper agency is made, MBS no longer is called upon to assist financially.
Over the past two years we have been able to help individuals and/or families with rent assistance, household needs, refugee settlement, utilities, groceries, auto insurance, and infant needs.
Additionally, the Almsgiving Fund saved the lives of a parish family’s relatives who were being persecuted in Sri Lanka by covering the cost of airfare to Pakistan where they are able to reside for a period of time before coming to the United States to join their family.