We’re not pulling punches on this one. We can’t. This week, after some harried 10 p.m. texts from our friends at Family Promise of Bergen County and an emergency meeting with the director of the Office of Concern I was lucky enough to join volunteers, many of them OLMC parishioners in meeting this pandemic’s food insecurity crisis head on. We’re asking you to join us and I’m personally encouraging our teens to serve as well.
The Office of Concern shelves are dangerously bare, missing are many essential items and the volume of guests grows with the days. This one is on us. We simply can’t have our beloved ministries unattended especially now. So, if you are able, there are several ways to help.
Volunteer with Family Promise and Central World Kitchen
Join us in the St. Ceicila’s parking lot (55 W Demarest Ave, Englewood, NJ 07631) Mondays through Saturdays, rain or shine, from May 11th to May 23rd from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (the latest) to help serve 400 meals to the needy. World Central Kitchen is a premier non-profit that is aiding restaurant workers as well as the hungry by providing hot meals made by local restaurants that volunteers then serve to the local community.
Please let us know (email eguerra@nullacademyolmc.org) a day in advance so we don’t have too many volunteers, we’re looking for about 9 per shift- max as we adhere to social distancing guidelines. You must wear a mask and other protective equipment is offered, all volunteers are outside and meals are dropped off into people’s backseats and trunks for touch-less service.
Donate Needed Items to the Office of Concern
We get it. Bare grocery shelves are pretty normal in our area but if you can provide our friends with any variety of frozen meat, canned fish (tuna) and dry pasta it would be a great help. There are many ways to help.
1. Donate any frozen meat, canned fish and dry pasta to the Office of Concern. You can drop it off at OLMC or we can pick it up at your home’s front steps!
2. Write a check mark it “Scrip” in the memo line and make it out to “OLMC” for any amount and we’ll purchase supermarket gift cards (at no additional cost to you) to assist our Academy and provide the funds to the Office of Concern.
Volunteer on Thursday, May 14th at the Office of Concern
Thankfully the Office of Concern is getting a much needed delivery from Community Food Bank of New Jersey of canned beans and soups and we’ll need help unloading the truck. If you are able to please join us Thursday morning (time to be determined) to help unload! Email us at eguerra@nullacademyolmc.org to RSVP, again it is very important that we adhere to social distancing guidelines!
We get it. Zoom calls, missed celebrations and no in person Masses. This stinks. But we can help! Check out the photos below!
