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3911 Sweet Air Road Phoenix, Maryland 21131 410-592-6565 |
Discover St. John's |
Hunger
Awareness and Missions St. John’s Hunger
Awareness Team St. John’s is expanding
the Food Cupboard ministry and, in 2006, has formed what we call the
Hunger Awareness Team. Anyone who has the will to support hunger
relief efforts, both locally and globally is welcome to join….youth
included! We are working toward coordinating our may gifts and resources
(talent, ideas, time & money) more fully to implement new programs
and grow in this mission, while at the same time, keeping world hunger
issues in the forefront of peoples’ minds throughout the year. Some future ideas may
include interactive awareness building activities and events, a 30-hour
fast (youth group) fundraiser for hunger relief, and guest speakers
at Sunday services. We need a team to help by reviewing available resource
materials, in order to develop plans, coordinate activities and take
this ministry to a new level. This group is just taking off, and there’s
no telling how it will evolve! What an exciting time to become involved! Let your hunger for
God help eliminate other’s hunger for food! THANK YOU! Thank you to the entire congregation for
supporting the efforts of the Hunger Team to alleviate hunger both locally
and globally and raise awareness to the issues related to hunger! A
special thank you goes to those on the Hunger Team that helped with
the many activities throughout the year! See what
we did together in 2007 and just imagine what we can do in 2008! HERE IS AN EASY, QUICK, FREE WAY
TO HELP ALLEVIATE WORLD HUNGER: Click daily on www.thehungersite.com to release 1.1 cups of food on a worldwide
basis in an effort to stop hunger Go to www.freerice.com and take a vocabulary quiz. For each
correct word, you release 20 grains of rice to the United Nations to
stop world hunger. Feed your brain, while at the same time, feeding
someone in need! Upcoming Hunger Team
Events: * A group from St. John’s will be
going on Saturday 4/12/08 from 9am-1pm to Our Daily Bread to serve meals
to the homeless in Baltimore. The minimum age requirement at ODB is
age 14. If you are interested in going with the group, please contact
Ellen Platt at pppesp@juno.com. The group will also be taking zipper seal
baggies and tea bags donated from our congregation, since these are
items in high demand at this facility. If you’d like to donate these
items, please place them in the Food Cupboard across from the office
and clearly mark them for Our Daily Bread. Thank you! Ways You Can Help
at St John’s 1. Pray 2. Deliver groceries from the food cupboard
to area shelter or pantry 3. Help collect or deliver furniture
for the Refugee program. 4. Serve meals at Our Daily Bread with
a group from St. John’s (Next date available is Saturday, 4/12/08
from 9am-1pm). 5. Make casseroles for the wellness
committee. 6. Join the Hunger Team and help coordinate
hunger awareness activities 7. Donate canned goods or money for
the Food Pantry 8. Help with the Fair Trade Marketplace
in the Fall 9. Help plan activities relating to
hunger for the youth and/or congregation at St. John's Let your hunger for God help eliminate
other’s hunger for food! Ways you can help
outside of St. John’s Use the following resources
for hunger awareness information: Lutheran World Relief
www.lwr.org ELCA World Hunger Appeal
www.elcs.org/hunger/ The Hunger Site www.thehungersite.com United Nations’ World
Food Program
www.wfp.org Action Against Hunger
www.aahuk.org War On Hunger United Against Hunger www.unitedagainsthunger.org Did You Know...? The average person blinks
his or her eyes 13 times every minute…Every minute of every day, 13
people die of starvation or hunger-related illnesses. That means that
every time you or I blink our eyes, another person has died from the
effects of hunger. Hunger & malnutrition
are the greatest risk to global health, causing more deaths than AIDS,
malaria & tuberculosis combined 3/4 of all deaths caused
by malnutrition are children under the age of five 12 million children are
hungry in the U.S. 3.5% of U.S. households
experience hunger Poor families spend more
than 70% of their income on food, whereas, the average American family
spends about 10% of their income on food One in six people is
hungry in developing nations, and one in four lack safe drinking water 852 million people across
the world are hungry, up from 842 million a year ago In the developing world: 27% of children
under 5 are moderately to severely underweight In the developing world,
more than 1.2 billion people currently live below the international
poverty line, earning less than $1 per day Economically, the constant
securing of food consumes valuable time & energy of poor people,
allowing less time for work & earning income. According to the World
Health Organization, poor nutrition & calorie deficiencies cause
nearly one in three people to die prematurely or have disabilities. Undernourishment negatively
affects people’s health, productivity, sense of hope and overall well-being.
A lack of food can stunt growth, slow thinking, sap energy, hinder fetal
development & contribute to mental retardation. 3.5% of U.S. households
experience hunger? Our current programs
include: The Food Pantry: Canned goods, non-perishable
food items, paper goods and toiletries are collected on an on-going
basis. The first Sunday of the month, there will be designated bins
located in the lobby for collection of these items. Food can also be
placed directly in to the Food Cupboard located across from the office
downstairs at any time. Once per month, the goods
are delivered to area soup kitchens, food banks, Amazing Grace Lutheran,
or other local social support agencies for distribution. On occasion,
the food in the cupboard is used to help someone in the congregation
in need or an area family in a situation of need. Money can also be
donated to the Food Cupboard by writing a check payable to St. John’s
Hunger Team with a note specifying the Food Cupboard on it. In 2006, 444 bags,
5 large boxes and a large basket of groceries were delivered to
area agencies for use and distribution to those most in need. In 2007, 237 bags of groceries, 70
large boxes of groceries, 20 doz eggs, 29 cases of bottled water,
and 6 cases of tea bags were delivered to area agencies for use
and distribution to those most in need. For further information
contact Ellen
Platt Serving Meals to the
Homeless: In 2006, a total of 38
people from St. John’s, over a four month period, went to Our Daily
Bread in Baltimore to serve meals to the homeless. Due to the positive
experiences and level of interest in this ministry, St. John’s has
been able to send groups on a regular basis. In 2007, a total of 50
people from St. John’s served meals and St. John’s provided additional
support in the way of coordinating donations of bagels, Panera bread,
canned goods, Ziploc bags, bottled water, tea bags and warm clothing to
the center. If you are interested
in joining one of the groups and serving , please contact Ellen Platt
at 410-628-1333
or pppesp@juno.com The Souper Bowl of
Caring: The Souper Bowl of Caring
is a youth-led, grassroots movement of caring, the result of thousands
of young people joining together to fight hunger and poverty in their
communities. Since 1990, $39 million has been raised for charities across
the country. St. John’s has participated
in the event for the past two years. In 2007, a total of 132 food
items and $386 were collected and went to the Maryland Food Bank to
help people in our area. In 2008, a total of $454.26 and 401 food
items were collected and delivered to the Hereford Food Bank and an
additional grant was provided by Thrivent. Money is still coming
in from the Souper Bowl, but as of 2/8/08, a total of $5,448,309
has been collected so far in 2008. Fair Trade Marketplace: Fair Trade is an international movement
to build trading relationships built on respect and designed to alleviate
poverty. Recent studies show that interest in fair trade products is
growing quickly. In 2002, total sales of fair trade products in North
America were $180 million, an increase of 44% from 2001. Today,
the sales are in the billions. Globally,
the number of certified producer organizations has grown 127 percent
since 2001, to a total of 508 groups across 58 countries. The number
of registered traders increased 132 percent in the same period, and
there are now more than 1483 global fair trade symbol licensees. Our sale at St. John’s
was hosted in partnership with A Greater Gift, a nonprofit program of
the 55-year-old SERRV International, which works in trade and development
in 36 countries around the world. This organization partners with artisans
and farmers to help them gain access to markets and maintain steady
work and a sustainable income to provide for their families. The proceeds
from their purchases improve working conditions and provide access to
education and healthcare for the artisans and their families. A portion
of the proceeds also go to Lutheran World Relief www.lwr.org In October, 2006 St.
John’s Hunger Team sponsored the first ever Fair Trade Marketplace
at St. John’s, and it was brought back by popular request in 2007,
and is anticipated to return in the Fall of 2008. The Hunger Team at
St. John’s organized the sale in an effort to help alleviate hunger
throughout the world, and to make our community aware of the need for
hunger relief in many countries, including our own. Close to $15,000
worth of fair trade goods have been sold since, as a result of this
event! In addition we have donated 93 ½ hours of work time in the warehouse
at SERRV International helping with pricing and packaging items, since
this is how they are able to provide a fair wage to the artisans and
farmers that make/grow the items. So far in 2008, approximately 40 hours
have been served at the warehouse. A great start to the year! For further information
contact Ellen
Platt Change for Change Loose change can be placed
in the Change for Change box located at the information desk in the
Narthex. Every six months, the change is then given to an area agency
identified as a cause we would like to support. $163.00 was collected
between January and June 30th, 2007 and was sent to the Maryland
Food Bank. $177.00 was collected
between July 1 and December 31, 2007 and was sent to America’s Second
Harvest at the end of the year. This money was also multiplied
by four due to a matching grant from Kraft Foods! Money currently being
collected will be going to the House of Ruth, a women’s shelter from
domestic violence For further information
contact Ellen
Platt Dominican Republic
Children’s Offering St. John’s has developed
a relationship with a parish in the Dominican Republic through mission
trips that have been made there for the last four years. On Christ Our
King Sunday, in November, St. John’s takes a free-will offering to
go toward food for the children being served at the church in the Dominican
Republic. In 2007, $750.00 was collected on that day and a total of
$3,500 was given to them in support of this program in 2007. For further information
contact Pastor
John Seltzer ELCA Good Gifts Donations to the Hunger
Team for ELCA Good Gifts resulted in the following gifts from St. John’s
in 2006: 5 Fruit Trees, 31 Children’s Meals, 2 After School Programs
and 3 Goats for a total of $176.00. $135.00 collected in
2007 was recently given to: Life-giving Water, Stand with Africa, Hope
For the Children, The Global Barnyard and Lutheran World Relief programs
through the ELCA. The Garden Project : Every year, St. John’s
takes advantage of their beautiful grounds and plants a garden, from
which the harvest is taken to a soup kitchen to feed the homeless. Thousands
of pounds of produce have been delivered over the years to various locations,
helping numerous people in the Baltimore area. People are needed
to prepare the garden starting in April, and also to help plant, weed,
pick produce and tend the garden weekly, and deliver the produce weekly
during the peak of the season. In 2007, 1808
pounds of produce were harvested and donated by St. John’s! For further information
contact Marie
Hess CropWalk: Each year in October,
St. John’s joins with area churches to raise funds to feed the hungry
of the world. Crop Walk is a ministry of Church World Service, a cooperative
ministry of 36 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations. It
provides sustainable self-help and development, disaster relief, and
refugee assistance in more than 80 countries. In 2007, approximately
$3,293 was raised by St. John’s alone, for a total of $14,357
by all the participating churches. For further information
contact Mike
Griffith. Amazing Grace/Baltimore
Immersion Project : St. John’s is committed
to a mission partnership with Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in the inner
city of Baltimore. Together each congregation seeks to strengthen the
proclamation of Christ in contrasting settings. This is done through
prayer, the donation of backpack school supplies, food sharing, construction
help, preacher and choir exchanges, worship visitation, vacation Bible
school, and holiday activities. The Hunger Team is also working on providing
regular support to Amazing Grace and the surrounding community in the
way of non-perishable foods, as they are in the process of becoming
an authorized distribution center for the MD Food Bank. For further information
contact Frannie
Butcher Refugee Services: St. John’s has been
involved in assisting with relocation of refugees from various countries
to the Baltimore area. Assistance with housing, furniture, clothing,
job search, support services, and navigating the various government
systems are needed for these families. In 2007, we picked up
29 times and delivered on 24 trips which helped 25 families through
the Lutheran Refugee Relocation Services: roughly two families per month!
A total of 90 hours were spent collecting, transporting & delivering
furniture, 2594 miles were put on the delivery vehicles, and an approximated
value of $7,000 worth of goods were donated! Help is always welcomed
to collect and deliver furniture! For further information
contact Mike
Griffith Welcome all, tell the
story, grow as disciples!
* Back by Popular Demand! The Fair Trade Marketplace will be returning
to St. John's in September and October, 2008, and will be a great, thoughtful
way to start your holiday shopping. Also look for our table at Country
Fair Day! Items made by artisans and farmers from underprivileged
countries around the world will be on display and on sale. Handmade
items such as baskets, instruments, ornaments, jewelry, food and gift
items will be on sale and will help support these workers and their
families. Coffees, teas and chocolates will also be on sale in the Fellowship
Hall on Sunday, March 2, 2008 from 9-11am.
10% are severely underweight
8% are moderately to severely wasted, or severely below weight
32% are moderately to severely stunted, or seriously below weight