Category: Social Action

(L) Brittany with Allendale UMC United Women in Faith group; (R) “Here is a box. I had it from the Queen!” –Cymbeline, Act III, Scene 4.
More drag queen bingo photos with Shakespeare quotes on our Facebook page

Friends,

“I love coming to the Saturday morning breakfast,” a volunteer said recently. “It’s fun and energizing, and then you can continue your day.”

That kind of enthusiastic support allowed us to serve an average of 130 meals per week in April. Thanks to everyone who helped, both on and off site.

As our snowbirds head north, we still need volunteers to fill their shoes.  Contact volunteer coordinator Brittany Howard at (727) 637-4863 or brihoward.m@gmail.com for details.

One group that has stepped up is students from USF St. Pete, such as Garrett, Melissa and Sarah (above). Special thanks to Sarah Percy, who has been an enthusiastic recruiter of her fellow students and a co-worker with Eric Peters at the front door.

You can meet more of them on our Facebook page. On the page we have also posted photos of the frivolity and fun at our Shakespeare’s Birthday Drag Queen Bingo, each tagged with an appropriate Shakespeare quote, including the Celebrate Outreach board reading the party preparation from Romeo and Juliet.  In honor of May the Fourth Be with You, the Facebook page also features Dapper Dan, the Jedi Janitor who has vowed to sweep the galaxy clean of evil.

Special thanks to the Allendale UMC United Women in Faith group for inviting Brittany to speak at their May meeting, and for their enthusiasm for our work (above; left).  If you would like Brittany to speak to your group, contact her at (727) 637-4863 or brihoward.m@gmail.com

At the end of the email is an updated list of our summer needs of food, clothing and toiletries. 

Here is information for volunteers:

• We serve from Praise the Lord Outreach Ministries, 900 MLK Street South, St. Petersburg FL 33705. 

• Volunteers arrive at 7:30 AM, and we finish serving by 9:30.

• To get a good idea of the Saturday morning breakfast, along with a plethora of puns and pop culture references, please peruse our Celebrate Outreach Facebook page. 

• Contact John at sjstew@gte.net for a list of breakfast guidelines: what to expect, what to wear, where to park, etc., and for information on preparing food offsite.

Thanks! 

Brittany Howard
(727) 637-4863 or brihoward.m@gmail.com

John Stewart
(727) 492-1590 or sjstew@gte.net

Food Items

fruit cups, bananas, oranges
beef sticks, canned meat pop tops (tuna, Vienna sausages),
yogurt cups, lunch meat, sliced cheese, cheese sticks
packs of any variety of cheese or peanut butter crackers, snack-sized bags of chips
bottled water, Gatorade, soda, frozen pops

Toiletries

foot powder

insect repellent wipes

toothbrushes, toothpaste

disposable razors, shaving cream

bar soap, wash cloths

deodorant

feminine hygiene items

travel size creams, shampoo, and body wash

individual packets of Kleenex, hand wipes

Clothes

gently used clothes, especially for men

men’s and women’s tennis shoes

men’s underwear S/M/L

women’s underwear S/M/L/XL

PLEASE NOTE: **We do not accept children’s clothes**

The celebrated writer and activist Bill McKibben will deliver the Jim Antal Keynote Lecture for the UCC’s second annual Earth Summit on Saturday, April 20th at 1 pm ET. This two-and-a-half-hour online and in-person event will additionally feature a panel of award-winning grassroots leaders who are currently in a David-versus-Goliath struggle against Formosa Plastics, one of the world’s largest producers of plastics .Register now to join us! As a denomination wide event, the UCC Earth Summit serves as a moment to highlight and lift-up those who have been doing incredible work within our denomination to advance climate justice. The Dollie Burwell Prophetic Action Award will showcase collective efforts to bring about change, while a new video will present the uplifting work of our host congregation, the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College. Finally, we will celebrate all of the Climate Hope Fellows, Creation Justice Churches, and green teams across the country who have been making a difference during this past year Be sure to register! The UCC Earth Day Summit is cohosted by the National Setting of the United Church of Christ, the United Church of Christ’s Council for Climate Justice, the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, and the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ.