Outreach Committee
Purpose
This committee is St. Peter's conduit to meet needs in Sitka, Alaska, and around the world. Through fund-raising activities such as the Fair Trade Fair, a booth at the ECW Christmas Bazaar, operation of The Bishop's Tea House in the summer, a gift counter in the parish hall, and generous donations from the St. Peter's parishioners, this group is able to send funds to individuals and organizations who have particular needs.
Helpers in the kitchen - Dcn. Katherine Snelling, Dorothy Osboken, Ginny Wood
Giving
Our Fair Trade Fair each year and our Gift Counter provide outlets for people's arts and crafts from around the world (through the organization, A Greater Gift).
As an example, here is a list of the activities and donations of the Outreach Committee in 2006:
Bishop’s Tea House took in almost $1000.
Fair Trade Fair in October raised $3,184.71
ECW Christmas Bazaar earned $367.25.
Donations given more recently:
Young Life $200
Sitka’s Faith in Action $600
Alaska Correctional Ministries $500
Florence Prison Christmas Trip $500
Hansen House $200
Tanzanian Orphanage $1,000
Priest’s Discretionary Fund $500
Through generous donations on the first Sunday of each month, the Salvation Army was given $1,423 for emergency housing. St. Peter’s also contributed generously to their food pantry.
Shoppers at the Fair Trade Fair
The sales made of Fair Trade items by the Outreach Committee helped many villagers worldwide by providing a market for their arts and crafts. The Outreach Committee is hoping to extend this opportunity to Alaskans in the coming year.
Children receiving shoeboxes with gifts inside
At Christmas, the Outreach Committee spearheads collection of Shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. Participants fill a shoebox with gifts for children depending on age and boy or girl. These are added to other shoeboxes from around town and delivered to children worldwide. Here are two children who recently received their boxes.
Participate
Would you like to be a part of the Outreach Ministry at St. Peter's? Below are some websites that provide outreach opportunities to organizations or causes we support or wish to help:
Fair Trade Shopping
If you wish to shop for Fair Trade items, visit:
http://www.agreatergift.org/
Brave Heart Volunteers
If you would like to support the hospice and respite services of Brave Heart Volunteers:
http://www.ptialaska.net/~sfia/
Episcopal Relief and Development Fund
A world-wide helping hand is available through the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund. You can be assured that the bulk of your gift goes to the relief effort and not to overhead costs! A special life-giving effort can be found through the ERD's Gifts for Life opportunities. These gifts make a lasting difference for children and families living in extreme poverty.
Microloans - KIVA
If you've been hearing about the wonderful success of microloans, here is an organization that puts your loans into the hands of small entrepreneurs world-wide. It's called KIVA and you can read about how it works on their website.
The Outreach Committee at St. Peter's thanks you for all that you do to reach out to others with loving help.
Volunteer
Would you like to volunteer at St. Peter's? Email us and let us know you're interested and/or tell us how you would like to volunteer.