Don's Helping Hands
The mission of our Don's Helping Hands ministry is to carry out corporal works of mercy in our community, with a primary focus on feeding the hungry and providing drink to the thirsty.
Each weekday, we serve bagged lunches to those less fortunate from the rectory’s Red Door Room between 9:30–10:30 AM. This effort depends on the generosity of our volunteers, who help by donating supplies, making sandwiches, assembling lunches, and serving them.
Each weekday, we serve bagged lunches to those less fortunate from the rectory’s Red Door Room between 9:30–10:30 AM. This effort depends on the generosity of our volunteers, who help by donating supplies, making sandwiches, assembling lunches, and serving them.
Who was Don, you ask? Watch this video:
Ways You Can Support Don's Helping Hands
From Home - Assemble 20-30 Sandwiches
Volunteers shop and donate the materials for sandwiches (we currently serve about 25 people daily) and prepare them at home for our guests, then drop them off at the Parish Office on your designated day. Sandwiches are 2 slices of white or soft wheat bread, 1 slice of lunchmeat (usually turkey) and 1 slice of cheese (usually American), placed in a ziploc bag (no condiments on the sandwich). We trust you will take safety precautions as you make the sandwiches at home.
Onsite - Volunteer to Serve our Guests
We need two volunteers each day to hand out lunches from the Red Door Room at the rectory. Children under the age of 18 must have an adult present with them. Please arrive at 9:15am to set up, then begin to serve at 9:30am for one hour. Please take a moment to read our Don's Helping Hands Server Protocols.
Are you a NEW volunteer (or haven't served in a while and would like a refresher)? Please sign up to request a training session before signing up for volunteer shifts.
Donate Supplies
Please... we can not accept donations of clothing, shoes, appliances or goods that are not listed below (unless specifically asked for during a supply drive). May we suggest that you take your donations directly to St. Chrys’ Closet at Church of the Ascension (LaSalle & Elm) or The Salvation Army (Clybourn south of Ashland) where they have a distribution network. Items listed below are gratefully accepted throughout the year:
Trial Sized Toiletries
-
Toothpaste & Toothbrushes
-
Deodorant
- Soap
- Body Wash
- Shampoo
- Hand Sanitizer
- Hand Wipes - single packets
- In the colder months, our guests also appreciate Hand and Foot Warmers
Food Items
- Coffee (ground, not whole bean)
- Cans of Pop
- Bottled Water
- Maruchan Instant Ramen Soup Cups - the ones in the styrofoam cups, not the packages without a cup because we cannot prepare those without disposable bowls
- Individually packaged snacks (cookies, chips, chocolate, etc)
- Fresh Fruit - "soft" varieties preferred like bananas and clementines
- Nutri-grain bars (any flavor)
Because many of our guests suffer from dental issues, they cannot enjoy "hard" items (bagels, french bread, hard candy etc.) and these items usually go to waste, please find another use for them.
Serving Supplies
- Brown paper lunch bags
- Plastic forks
- Disposable coffee cups with lids
- Stir sticks
- Coffee creamer and sugar/sweetener packets
- Individual sized condiment packets of mayo or mustard
Donate Financially
These funds will go directly to our Hands of Mercy Outreach Ministries which supports Don's Helping Hands (to which Don contributed so much of his time). Our shoppers will use this to purchase whatever supplies are needed most.
THANK YOU for your kind service and generous donations to our Don's Helping Hands ministry!
For more information about Don's Helping Hands, please contact Jen Magyar-Marlowe at [email protected].
