Outreach Activities
ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTED IN 2010
- adopt-a-dog save-a-life
- FaithWorks
- Habitat for Humanity
- Military chaplains
- Moorelands Community Services
- Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre
- Sleeping Children Around The World
- St. George House
- St. Thomas Anglican Church
- The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund
- The STOP Community Food Centre
- Women's World Day of Prayer
For details, see 2010 Vestry Report
Things you can do
- Bring non perishable food on Sundays for The STOP Community Food Centre
- Serve dinner and/or bake cookies for the residents of St. George House
- Donate, help, and attend Stone Soups
- Support clothing drives for PARC by donating gently used clothing
- Knit or crochet newborn baby items for Moorelands baby bundles
- Donate items needed for campers attending Moorelands Wilderness Camp
- Purchase gifts for Moorelands Christmas Sharing
- Attend Moorelands Wilderness Camp work weekend
Annual Report of the Outreach Committee for the Year 2010
The Outreach Committee met five times in 2010 and continued to focus on supporting four organizations caring for the disadvantaged in Toronto.
Moorelands Community Services works with more than 1500 Toronto children and youth affected by poverty, to provide them with positive and fun experiences to help strengthen their confidence, competence and character. In 2010, St. Timothy's continued to support several of their programs.
The after school program has 360 spaces for children aged 6-12 in Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park. This program provides homework help, crafts, outdoor activities, sports, cooking sessions, literacy activities, educational workshops and special theme days. In 2010, $1000 from our Outreach budget was directed to the after school program. Moorelands Wilderness camp has 600 spaces for children and youth, aged 8-16 who experience a fun filled and challenging summer in a wilderness environment. Through camp activities, campers learn about communication, team work, problem solving and consideration of others. We supported the camp with a financial donation of $2500 with $901.55 being donated at the April Stone Soup when Camp Director, Lynda Tilley spoke and $1598.45 donated from the Outreach budget. In June, a few items needed at camp, like flip flops, insect repellant, and suntan lotion were collected and $470 was donated. As well, members of the congregation helped with end of season jobs at a work weekend at the end of September.
The Christmas Sharing Program provides children, youth and families with toys, grocery gift cards and clothing. In 2010, we adopted 9 children in 4 families. After the grocery gift cards and unsigned for gifts were purchased, we were able to forward $878.61 from donations from the congregation to this project.
Baby bundles is a unique program in Toronto supplying newborns in 300 families with new baby clothing, blankets and toiletries. Several members of the congregation and members of St. Andrew's Group knit and crochet beautiful baby outfits all year long. On Mother's Day, many baby gifts were presented and $125 was donated by the congregation for baby bundles.
In 2010, we donated almost $5000 to Moorelands, $2598.45 from the Outreach budget for Send-a-Kid to camp and the after school program and the remainder from the congregation as follows: $125 for baby bundles, $470 forSend-a-Kid to camp, $901.55 from the April Stone Soup and $878.61 for Christmas Sharing.
The Stop Community Food Centre, located in Toronto's west end works to increase access to food in a manner that maintains dignity, builds health and community and challenges inequality. Underlying all of The Stop's efforts is the view that food is a basic human right. Their food bank provides a 3 day supply once a month to individuals and families in their catchment area. Priority is placed on providing a dignified environment and the best quality food possible. We held two successful food drives in the spring and fall. Members of the congregation also bring non perishable foods each Sunday. Children's books left from the book sale were also given. We donated $2400 to The Stop from the Outreach budget.
Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC) is a drop in community centre running many community programs aimed at improving the quality of life of psychiatric survivors and marginalized people in Parkdale. There are 10 units of supportive housing with 29 additional units scheduled to open in January of 2011. We had a tremendous response to a clothing drive for winter clothing in October and November. We also donated $1500 to PARC from the Outreach budget.
St. George House, originally an "Anglican House" and now supported in part by LOFT (Leap of Faith-Together) is a high support boarding house for 26 adults with psychiatric illnesses and histories of homelessness or a risk of homelessness. This year, we continued to provide monthly meals, cookies, birthday cards and Christmas gifts for the residents. We donated $2000 from the Outreach budget for air conditioners for the dining area. Books from the book sale and bath towels were also donated.
Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) is an organization raising funds to provide bedkits to the neediest of children in underdeveloped and developing countries. In 2010, we donated $595 to purchase seventeen bedkits. The funds were raised as follows: $145.94 from the Church School, $260.05 from the adults, $175.69 from the Pancake Supper and $13.32 from the Outreach budget.
FaithWorks assists thirteen unique ministries and works with three partners. Through FaithWorks, Anglicans in the Diocese of Toronto support some of our most vulnerable sisters and brothers. Our goal in 2010 of $7500 was surpassed and $8,698.08 was given. At our February FaithWorks Stone Soup, $441.69 was raised and with $58.31 from the Outreach budget, an additional $500 was donated to FaithWorks.
The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) is the Canadian Anglican response for emergency relief, refugees, development and justice. More than $4000 ($4155) was donated to PWRDF for the Haiti earthquake relief. We also donated $1000 from the Outreach budget to PWRDF for Haiti.
Others who benefited from our individual or collective financial support included Habitat for Humanity, St. Thomas Anglican Church and military chaplains.
In summary, $9717.72 from the Outreach budget and $18,000 from special collections for FaithWorks, Stone Soups and other community appeals (Women's World Day of Prayer, andadopt-a-dog) was disbursed in 2010.
Janet Gordon and Judith Ransom participated in the Toronto Diocesan housing project. They and two other group members examined housing issues in Flemingdon Park and reported their findings to the Diocese in late August. Many groups made similar investigations in the city and overall results have not yet been published.
Thank you to the congregation for both entrusting us with your funds from the parish budget and for your very generous individual financial contributions for many deserving organizations. Your tangible contributions are also very much appreciated- helping with the Stone Soups, attending the Moorelands work weekend, serving meals at St. George House, knitting for Baby bundles, bringing food for The Stop and clothes for PARC.
Respectfully submitted, Linda Gilpin, Chair for the Outreach Committee-The Rev. Canon Greg Symmes, Audrey Gilpin, Rosemary Hendra, Judith Ransom, Janet Gordon, Christie Stevenson, Bruce& Irina Cameron, Ada James, Sylvia Skippen, Bea Wilson.