OUTREACH MINISTRY AT ST. FRANCIS BY THE SEA

Outreach is vital to our ministry at St. Francis by the Sea. We support several ongoing ministries, including Martha’s Mission Cupboard, Meals on Wheels, Carteret Preschool, Trinity Center, Hope Mission, and other short-term projects. We honor our call to be the hands and feet of Christ, and all are welcome to participate in any of these efforts.

Martha’s Mission Cupboard is our local emergency food bank. Located in Morehead City, MMC serves families and individuals by providing grocery and personal items. More than 30 St. Francis parishioners regularly pick up and deliver food recoveries from local grocery stores to support MMC. These recoveries are a substantial part of the distributed food and help avoid food waste. We also hold regular food drives during Lent and Lobsterfest; these drives collect thousands of items yearly to support our community's families. Each February, we participate in the Super Bowl of Caring, when parishioners share a soup lunch and bring canned goods and/or cash donations to support Martha’s Mission. 

Our Meals Ministry Team cooks for Meals on Wheels recipients every other week throughout the year. We prepare nourishing meals that are frozen and sent with the regular Friday deliveries so that recipients have a substantial meal for the weekend. Our MMT also serves parishioners with special needs, and we keep Love Meals in the freezer to be shared with anyone who would enjoy having them. Parishioners donate many of the ingredients we use for these meals so that everyone can participate in this effort - shoppers and cooks alike!

St. Francis serves the families at Carteret Preschool in Newport. In the summer, we collect snacks for the children and provide lunch for the staff as they prepare for a new school year. We also serve the children at Christmas with our Angel Tree, providing gifts and grocery store gift cards for deserving families.

Each spring, we collect items for campers at Trinity Center, including sunscreen, sandals, swim goggles, beach towels, sunglasses, and other essentials. These items support campers who cannot bring these items to camp. 

In the summer, the Daughters of the King provide school supplies to fill book bags for our Diocese Episcopal Farmworkers Ministry. These book bags are supplied for farmworkers’ children. 

On September 11, we will honor our First Responders in Indian Beach with a luncheon. We will deliver a feast and thank them for their essential service to our community.

All parishioners are invited to participate in our regular visits to Carteret Landing in Morehead City, where we sing familiar hymns and secular music and interact with residents. 

Our Meals Ministry Team prepares and serves lunch at Hope Mission in Morehead City regularly. These hot, nourishing meals are provided for our community's needy and/or unhoused folks.

On Thanksgiving Day, the Meals Ministry Team prepares a Thanksgiving feast for the residents of Hope Mission and other community members who typically dine there. Parishioners cook turkeys, and the MMT prepares side dishes of sweet potato casserole, dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans, and rolls. This meal is served by STFBS volunteers, who are grateful to serve on this day of thanks.

All are welcome to be part of Outreach at St. Francis by the Sea. Join us as we serve our neighbors!

For more information, contact: The Reverend Deacon Robin Smith at sfbtsdeacon@gmail.com