Outreach at All Saints
“…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25: 35-36
The Outreach Committee at All Saints has a simple calling — to serve by doing good in our community and the world.
The recently-retired Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Right Rev. Michael B. Curry, was fond of saying that Episcopalians "punch above their weight", and All Saints has demonstrated that attribute for decades through its outreach programs. Here are our most recent campaigns:
SECRET SANTA OUTREACH FOR LOCAL CHILDREN
Happy Advent! Now we look towards Christmas and all the joyous aspects of the season. One of the wonderful parts of Christmas is present giving and giving gifts is made even more special when the gifts are given to help make the holiday special for a family in need. Donating New, Unwrapped toys and gifts for children receiving gifts from Secret Santa, a program sponsored by the local Rotary Club, you will be making local families Christmas very special.
Please take a tag or two from the Christmas tree in the Parish Hall and bring your New, Unwrapped gifts back on or before the All Saints Advent/Christmas Party on Sunday, Dec. 7. The tag has suggestions for toys for different age groups, but feel free to purchase what you would like to give. Feel free to also bring wrapping paper and tape that can be given to the families so that they will be able to wrap the gifts for their children. We will have a special blessing for the gifts and for the children and their families at the Advent/Christmas Party and the gifts will be delivered to Secret Santa the following day. Please keep these children, and all families struggling, in your prayers as you shop for them and feel the joy of the season knowing you’ve lightened the load for a parent and made a child’s Christmas special.
If you have any questions, please contact the Parish Office
Please take a tag or two from the Christmas tree in the Parish Hall and bring your New, Unwrapped gifts back on or before the All Saints Advent/Christmas Party on Sunday, Dec. 7. The tag has suggestions for toys for different age groups, but feel free to purchase what you would like to give. Feel free to also bring wrapping paper and tape that can be given to the families so that they will be able to wrap the gifts for their children. We will have a special blessing for the gifts and for the children and their families at the Advent/Christmas Party and the gifts will be delivered to Secret Santa the following day. Please keep these children, and all families struggling, in your prayers as you shop for them and feel the joy of the season knowing you’ve lightened the load for a parent and made a child’s Christmas special.
If you have any questions, please contact the Parish Office
Our annual winter coat/clothing drive was a great success! Thank you to all who donated coats, jackets, and other accessories! We are pleased to be able to provide Cradles to Crayons with 70 coats, some boots, and assorted hats/gloves to give to needy families this winter. We would also like to recognize the congregants of Presbyterian Church of Western Springs, who collected an additional 13 coats on our behalf. Thank you again for your generosity!
Winter Coat Drive: All Saints organizes a drive to collect coats, boots, hats, scarves, and gloves each Fall. Over the years, this winter outerwear has been distributed to various direct service organizations. In 2024, we were able to provide warm clothing to Off the Street Club which has been serving west Garfield Park youth since 1900 and which has been a partner with the All Saints community for 28 years.
Click to learn more about this organization: Off the Street Club
Click to learn more about this organization: Off the Street Club
Exodus World Services - Welcome to America Packs and more
All Saints has supported the ministry of Exodus World Services, which works to settle refugees by various means, for over 10 years. All Saints just delivered its latest "Welcome to America" pack, a collection of bed and bath linens, kitchen equipment, cutlery, dishes, food, even tooth brushes! To learn more about Exodus World Services, click here: Exodus World Service
And that’s not all! We continue to work with Exodus World Service assisting refugees. Currently some parishioners are volunteering at Heidi House, a center run by Exodus that offers English conversation sessions as well as tutoring for students and those studying for the citizenship exam.
All Saints has supported the ministry of Exodus World Services, which works to settle refugees by various means, for over 10 years. All Saints just delivered its latest "Welcome to America" pack, a collection of bed and bath linens, kitchen equipment, cutlery, dishes, food, even tooth brushes! To learn more about Exodus World Services, click here: Exodus World Service
And that’s not all! We continue to work with Exodus World Service assisting refugees. Currently some parishioners are volunteering at Heidi House, a center run by Exodus that offers English conversation sessions as well as tutoring for students and those studying for the citizenship exam.
Monthly Food Drive: All Saints accepts non-perishable food donations throughout the year. On the last Sunday of each month, all items collected during the month are blessed and later delivered to the Westchester Food Pantry. Both La Grange Park and Western Springs are part of the Westchester Food Pantry’s service area.
In 2023, the Pantry served 5995 client households. This equates to 435,000 meals, which is an 100% increase since 2021. Each individual shopping cart that a family takes home represents more than $300 worth of groceries.
The Westchester Food Pantry needs our monthly donations of food and money more than ever. The pantry is already feeling the impact of federal agency personnel and budget cuts. The allotment they receive from the USDA has been cut by 40%! At the same time, the number of people coming to the pantry for food each week is increasing. Last year the pantry served 298 households from La Grange Park (an increase from 290 in 2023) and 56 households in Western Springs in 2024 (an increase from 41 in 2023). When household numbers are converted to individuals this amount to 960 people in La Grange Park and 192 in Western Springs.
All food donations are needed. Right now these items are in short supply: pasta, pasta sauce, jelly, meals in a can (stew, ravioli, chili, SpagthettiOs), condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayo, salad dressing, BBQ sauce) coffee/tea and paper grocery bags with handles. The pantry also needs non-prescription pet food and paper grocery bags with handles.
Thank you for making a difference through All Saints’ hunger relief efforts by supporting our neighbors in need. We also accept monetary donations. Please mark "Food Pantry" in the memo line of your check.
Volunteer at the Pantry: There are several ways we can help at the pantry on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Join the receiving crew (1st and 3rd Fridays of the month, usually 10:00 am-12:00 pm), the set out and sort crew (Wednesdays from 12:30-3:00 pm and Fridays from 12:00-2:00 pm), or the client service crew (Wednesday from 4:00-7:00 pm and Saturday from 8:30-11:30 am). Click here for more information and to sign up! No training is necessary--simply jump in as your schedule allows!
CARS (Community-Assisted Rides for Seniors, formerly known as Interfaith Community Partners) Becoming a CARS volunteer driver is a beautiful way to serve your community while easily working around your busy life! We offer very flexible volunteer scheduling and provide all the training you'll need! To learn more or sign up for a session, kindly contact the CARS office at 708-354-9328.
Restoration Ministries: Restoration Ministries is an Outreach Partner to receive All Saints’ Community Donations of money, clothing and other goods. They are a Christian-based organization that supports recovering addicts, at-risk-youth, and families struggling with poverty. Donations support their 20 outreach programs, including a food pantry, addiction recovery programs, free homes for women, job training programs, and after-school and summer programs for disadvantaged young people. For more information, visit www.restorationministries.net
Church Periodical Club is a ministry of the written word, funding grants for written materials of all kinds and formats through grants. There are cannisters for your loose change at the back of the nave, or you can drop a check with the memo: "CPC" in the plate on Sundays. While Chicago receives a lot of grant money, it doesn't raise nearly as much, so we need to step it up!
Welcoming our Neighbors: Sometimes we serve by inviting our neighbors to use our space for their needs. All Saints founded and has hosted Boy Scout Troop 33 since 1993, with over 60 Eagle Scouts to date. Currently, two recovery groups, Sisters in Sobriety, a women’s Alcoholics Anonymous Group, and Al-Anon and AlaTeen meet at All Saints weekly. We have also hosted local school District 101’s Kindergarten screening for many years.
Support for At-Risk Youth: All Saints has been collecting goods and raising money for camp scholarships for the Off The Street Club since the 1990s. Off The Street Club is Chicago’s oldest club for boys and girls in West Garfield Park/Chicago. They serve over 3,000 kids in a neighborhood known for gangs, drugs, and violence. We continue to help to fill their camp closet with an annual drive to support Camp Mathieu. To learn more about Off The Street Club click here: OTSC
Random Acts of Kindness: We always encourage one-time projects, particularly those that engage the younger members of our church family. In the recent past, we have written postcards to hospitalized children and adults, filled individual toiletry bags for the Share Food, Share Love Food Pantry in Brookfield, and delivered flowers and cards to residents of The Birches Retirement Community. This March we are collecting pet food and supplies for Gypsy Cats NFP and Magnificent Mutts Rescue.
Over the years, All Saints has partnered with numerous organizations that assist those in need, both locally and throughout the world. If you or someone you know is aware of a need that we can fill, please contact [email protected] with your recommendations and ideas for outreach initiatives. We are always looking for our next opportunity to serve our community and beyond.
All Saints' Kindness Rock Garden is now open! Visit and collect a rock to pay kindness forward by leaving it for someone else to find. Let’s sprinkle positivity throughout the community!
Together, we make a difference!
All Saints' Kindness Rock Garden is now open! Visit and collect a rock to pay kindness forward by leaving it for someone else to find. Let’s sprinkle positivity throughout the community!
Together, we make a difference!