St. James School – New Opportunities:
1.Zoom study hall is starting!
The youngest classes, 4th and 5th grade, are going to have sessions for study hall online from 2-3pm (Monday-Friday) and 3-4pm (Monday-Thursday). There will be a St. James staff member on the zoom call to place volunteers in breakout rooms with students, if there are any issues/concerns the staff member is in the main zoom available to help. They will primarily be working on math and ELA in the study hall. Each session with a student will be 20-60 minutes long.
Please let us know if you are able to sign up for 1 or more days during these times.
2. Garden volunteering is still underway - our team is strong but always able to have more join - campus is looking great!
3. The Welcome Table is in need of volunteers to help with organizing and distributing clothing and food throughout the week (Monday, Wednesday-Friday). Other Welcome Table opportunities:
- Fall Festival - October 31st - participating in trick or treating at a distance in the cemetery!
- Election Day Hospitality - November 3rd
- Thanksgiving Feast - November 24th - collecting food for meal baskets in lieu of a sit down feast this year
To sign up contact: Maggie Sanborn, Associate Director of Donor and Volunteer Engagement, St. James School, 3217 West Clearfield Street, Philadelphia, PA 19132
(215) 226-1276 ext. 106 www.StJamesPhila.org
Ardmore Food Pantry (at St. Mary’s Church, 35 Ardmore Avenue, Ardmore) is in greater need of food donations. Directional signs lead to a porch where donations can be left any time. Greatest needs are: cereal, spaghetti sauce, canned meals (e.g., chili, ravioli), peanut butter, jelly, canned tuna or chicken, canned beans or vegetables, mac and cheese, small boxes of raisins, granola bars, instant oatmeal packets, hot chocolate and toilet paper individually wrapped. If you don’t want to do the shopping, send a check to the Ardmore Food Pantry at St. Mary’s or donate $10 gift cards to Acme, Trader Joe’s or Giant.
ElderNet of Lower Merion and Narberth’s Ada Mutch Food Pantry (9 South Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bryn Mawr) makes food and personal care products available to residents living with low incomes. The number of people needing assistance has increased as a result of the pandemic. Wanted are canned meats (chicken, tuna, turkey and SPAM), canned pasta meals, peanut butter, and cereal plus incontinence aids, tissues, paper towels, shampoo/conditioner and toothpaste. Donations can be dropped off at the food pantry (in Ludington Library parking lot) on Tuesdays and Thursday from 10 to noon and 2 to 4 pm. To avoid doing the shopping or arranging an online delivery, consider sending a donation to ElderNet.
St. Gabriel’s Mission (101 East Roosevelt Boulevard, Philadelphia) is also in need of food for their food pantry. The Redeemer continues to provide food for Saturday lunches once a month, and food pantry donations can be delivered then. For information, contact Jan Clarke.
Darby Mission in Darby, PA, is reaching out to people faced with food insecurity by providing bags of food to 200 people two or three times a month. Help pack grocery bags in preparation for distribution by calling or texting the Vicar of Darby Mission, the Rev. Doris Rajagopal, 610-348-9226,
African Children’s Mission points out that COVID-19 has also reached Malawi. Africa, and the projections are dire. With only 25 ICU beds in the country, Malawi’s healthcare system is not capable of handling an epidemic. ACM’s partner, Global Aids Interfaith Alliance (GAIA) has launched critical preventive measures to:
1. Protect Mobile Health Clinic operations, adding staff to manage patient flow and hygiene protocols and procuring vital Personal Protective Equipment;
2. Educate rural communities on hygiene, distancing and other pandemic prevention; and
3. Deliver COVID-19 prevention supplies, including locally tailored masks, water stations and soap for tens of thousands of households in the highest risk areas.
To donate toward this effort, please send a check to GAIA, 2171 Francisco Blvd. East, Suite 1, San Rafael, CA 94901.
More information about these organizations follows below.