Outreach at St. George's

Helping those in need is at the heart of our understanding of the Gospel as we reach out to the larger community of the city, the nation, and the world.

The Outreach committee creates the main avenues to put this core value into action, and other parish organizations occasionally create service projects.

The committee seeks to operate programs that create meaningful, lasting relationships with the organizations we serve. We continue to measure the success and continuation of the programs by seeing that the programs have broad parish participation, including opportunities for our youth, that the projects serve a meaningful number of people, and that we have an ongoing relationship with the organization served. Outreach is always open to new programs as members come forward anxious to address a need in the community.

current active outreach projects:

  • Comfort bags for the SAFE Alliance: We create and deliver hand-made bags filled with 15 items, ranging from the practical — notebook and pen — to the comforting — lavender sachets, stress balls, and with a handwritten note of encouragement — to survivors of sexual violence and assault. 

    The bags are a gift of beauty, but they are also a powerful witness to survivors, bringing light into a dark place. The bags are a reminder that they are not alone and have not been forgotten or judged by the church.

    Since the beginning in 2014, when our first delivery was 27 bags, the project has grown to a delivery of about 200 bags, three times per year! This program has widespread parish participation. Parishioners make the bags, write the notes, shop for items to contribute, and help to fill the bag at coffee hour. The bags are placed on the altar for blessing at the 10:30 am service and we always have visiting nurse advocates who give touching testimony about how deeply the bags are appreciated by survivors.

  • Hospitality baskets for Christopher House: Since 1995, we have made weekly delivery of baskets, containing toiletries, game books, note cards, and snacks, for family members of patients spending their last days at Christopher House. Twice a year we assemble baskets and hold a sale when parishioners sign up for a week to deliver, often as a memorial to one of their own loved ones. The hospice staff speaks enthusiastically about how appreciative families are, often spreading the contents out in the room to create a more homelike atmosphere.

  • HELPS International: The HELPS school in Guatemala provides a field trip for 5th-grade children who visit the nation’s capital to see a wider world of opportunity and cultural heritage. Over the last four years, several of our members have traveled to Guatemala and made the trip with the children. Funds for the trip have been borne by St. George’s, and our members make physical or financial contributions for school supplies that our volunteers carry with them. About 20 students make the trip, though supplies are donated for the entire school. It was disappointing that the trip was canceled because of COVID in 2020 and in 2021, but the trip resumed in 2022.  HELPS is a 501c3 providing social, educational, and spiritual programs in the developing world.

  • Hands for Hope: For the last several years, St. George’s has participated in the Hands for Hope Thanksgiving project sponsored by El Buen Samaritano, an outreach ministry of the Diocese of Texas that mainly serves low-income Latino families. This project provides the fixings for a Thanksgiving meal and some emergency food relief to qualified families who are registered with EBS. Our members provide significant financial support, and several St. George’s people are there on the day of delivery to box the food and hand out the meals.

  • Christmas Outreach: In recent years we have focused on St. George’s Court, a residential community for the elderly and persons with disabilities founded by St. George’s, and Casa Marianella, a shelter for international refugees which provides wraparound services for self-sufficiency. We collect $20 grocery cards for each resident of the Court and of Casa. The cards are presented in handmade felt stockings, which are decorated with “bling” at the parish retreat, with our children and youth participating.

  • St. George’s Court: There is ongoing interest in deepening the relationship between St. George’s Church and St. George’s Court. In 2022 we provided a joint Christmas feast with donations of food and service by church members. We are beginning a monthly time together with food, perhaps a meal, and games like bingo so we can serve and get to know each other.

  • General Outreach Support: We maintain funds on hand to support our unfunded programs and also to be able to make gifts when current needs become apparent. For example, we have supported the food bank account for St. George’s Court, assisted with the mission trip to St. Avelina, and provided help for emergency relief at Casa Marianella. These funds are raised by a general outreach request, typically no more than once a year. Our members give generously, so we have not felt the need to host events or galas to raise money.

    Our next drive will be April 30 - May 21, a “yellow envelope drive” to raise undesignated funds. Donors will have the option of donating in honor of their mothers since the drive will be ongoing during Mother’s Day.


If you are interested in learning more about a project or wish to become active in Outreach, contact Alice at mzlsnlsn@gmail.com or Sarah at cowmarket2@gmail.com.


Donations

St. George's always accepts donations to support our Outreach work. To give online, click the DONATE button to go to St. George's online giving page and scroll down. You can select a specific project or use the Undesignated Outreach tile. Follow the prompts to complete your gift. Payment may be made via credit card or automatic withdrawal from your bank account.

If you would prefer to give by cash or check, you may do that as well – please make sure that your check notes in the memo line if it is for a specific project, or that cash is in an appropriately labeled envelope. Gifts may be placed in the offertory basket on Sunday mornings, or mailed to the church office at 4301 North IH-35, Austin, TX 78722.