Trinity Social Ministries- Urban Ministry

"Breaking the cycle of poverty and homelessness"

Each year Urban Ministry of Palo Alto provides 26,000 free hot meals, 17,000 bags of groceries and 4,800 nights of housing through a rotating emergency shelter program. The Drop-In Center in downtown Palo Alto serves as the point of entry for those who are newly homeless or have recently decided to break the cycle and are searching for shelter and transitional housing.

Trinity Parish supports Urban Ministry in several ways. There is a Clothes Closet in the garage of the Rectory, open on Wednesdays for both donations and to outfit those in need (and men's jeans are always needed!) Trinity opens its kitchen and Trinity Hall every Sunday for Breaking Bread, an open-to-all meal hosted by several community service organizations and congregations in rotation. Every fifth Saturday, Trinity volunteers prepare and serve the Saturday meal at Coventry Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto. Both servers and food preparation volunteers are needed.

Serving at Fifth Saturday Lunches
Responsibilities: a group of volunteers prep and serve lunch for the homeless. Specifically we need:

• Dessert Makers, which can be done in advance.
• Prep Cooks for the Main Course (tbd)
• Servers for the lunch itself.

Contact: Diane Savage - 650.321.8236
Time Committment: Cooking time, or 2-4 hours (on the fifth Saturday)
Timeframe: Days, weekends

Snapshot: "I want my children to know that their worth in the larger community is defined by their contributions, not their grades in the classroom or their accomplishments on the soccer field. To accomplish this goal I need to teach, model, and practice Christian values just as I would reading or soccer skills. My daughters have learned about Christian values by practicing them in Outreach projects. Whether selling lemonade to raise money for Heifer, or stuffing backpacks, I have seen them grow in understanding about the needs of others. Their favorite activity was helping at an Urban Ministry lunch, where they made punch and laid out pastries. They had great fun and I would love to make "giving of time and talent" an integral part of their lives. They loved all of these activities both because we gave to those in need and because we did it as a family." --Peter ("Scotch") Scocimara

Learn more at the Urban Ministry Web site.