Outreach Needy
Charlie's Place
Charlie’s Place is an outreach ministry of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in northwest Washington, DC. In 1990 the program was founded by the Reverend Charles Gilchrist to serve the homeless and poor around the church.
When Reverend
Gilchrist died in 1999, the Homeless Breakfast Program was renamed in his
honor. The program has evolved to include social services, outreach services,
legal services, health education, writing classes and other related
services.
For more information about Charlie's Place please visit the website CharliesPlaceDC.org.
Mary's Center
St. Margaret's is happy to support the ministries of Mary's Center to the less fortunate in our region. Under the auspices of this organization, parishioners from St. Margaret's annual adopt needy families and provide them with gifts and food at Christmas. Additionally, Mary's Center provides other opportunities for our members to assist with the needs of families in tough times. To join in please give Martha, Bob, or Prue a call!
For more information about Mary's Center please contact Martha Jenkins at 202.249.9438 or Bob Healy at 202.966.4252.
Samaritan Ministries
St. Margaret's is a member parish of Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington, a service organization reaching out to homeless people and others in need, with support and volunteers from over 40 Episcopal congregations. Samaritan works with participants to set life improvement goals and begin taking steps toward greater self-sufficiency. Job counseling, resume-writing, tutoring, clothing, groceries, transportation and other forms of assistance are offered, along with several services previously performed by Episcopal Caring Response to AIDS (ECRA).
St. Margaret's provides financial support and deploys volunteers who work directly with participants in Samaritan Activities. Gary Collins and David Griswold represent the parish on the Samaritan Board of Directors. Marjorie Hyer and Madge Pendleton are volunteer staff members.
For more information about Samaritan Ministries please contact David Griswold at 202.234.4551 or Gary Collins at 202.832.9019.
Partner Arms II
St. Margaret's has helped rehabilitate an abandoned apartment building which has been transformed into a residence for formerly homeless families, one of two operated by Transitional Housing Corporation, a church-related organization. The two Partner Arms communities offer housing as well as supportive services, provided by Samaritan Ministry, for families who are working to overcome the obstacles to independent living. Our parish has also "adopted" an apartment, providing furniture and supplies for one of the resident families. Our parishioners have provided "sweat equity" in the construction process and in collecting furniture, and we will have opportunities for continued supportive involvement with the families. "Our" apartment will next "turn over" with new residents probably in late 2006. We can also continue to assist THC with fundraising and management of the Partner Arms properties.
For more information about Partner Arms II please contact David Griswold at 202.234.4551.
Bread Run
St. Margaret's is honored to participate in a program that "rescues" day-old bread from being thrown into the dumpster and provides a needed source of nutrition to men, women and children who would otherwise go hungry The ministry of the Bread Run is an outgrowth of Charlie's Place. Sutton Place Gourmet generously donates day-old bread to us for use at both Charlie's Place and distribution to other homeless shelters and feeding programs. Volunteers from the parish make runs to Sutton Place Gourmet in the late evening or early morning and regularly pick up 75 to 100 pounds of bread to bring to Charlie's Place and/or deliver to other programs in the District of Columbia. To participate, all you need is a suitable automobile, a willing heart, and a reasonably strong back and arms!
For more information about Bread Run please contact Andrew Schneider at 202.966.0414.
DC Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) Volunteers
When members of the DC community make unfavorable decisions and are held accountable (15000 individuals on probation, parole, and supervised release) by the criminal justice system, it is the mandate of the DC Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) to help these individuals become productive members of the community. Since 70 percent of convicted offenders serve all or part of their sentence in the community and an additional 2000 DC inmates return to DC each year, public safety is heavily dependent upon effective supervision of offenders in the community. Realizing that successful achievement of its mission requires innovative community collaboration, CSOSA and the faith community have partnered to provide offender resources and services. Saint Margaret Episcopal Church participates in this volunteer mentoring program.
What does a volunteer mentor do? Each mentor is a major part of CSOSA strategy by serving as listener, confident, and advisor to ex-offenders. While Corrections Officers (CO) act as the official enforcers of regulations, introduce improvement programs and monitor expected progress; mentors listen to the problems, cite their own experiences, team with ex-offenders to develop life/work solutions and strategies, and gradually introduce higher social expectations of skills and etiquette. It's a team effort: COs, mentors, and ex-offenders talk to each other, confide in each other and reinforce positive aspects that will make the ex-offender successful. Other than attending an introductory class, mentors only have to bring to the team their experiences, social and normal planning skills, listening skills, empathy and patience, and a good attitude. Needless to say, each mentor brings their own skills, knowledge, and limitations and relationships range from detached objectivity to close confidents. Some mentors just use the teachings of the prophet Jesus as their overall guide and measures of performance. I hope he will love and guide each of us as we mentor others.