Refugee support & slide show
24-01-21 Ongoing Mission Report: refugee support & slide show
Ongoing Mission Report
Successful food drive for the Acton Food Pantry
221 food items which were delivered to the Acton Food Pantry this week thanks to Good Shepherd parishioners
Thank you for the tremendous support we received for the food drive for the Acton Food Pantry. It was a huge success! We have donated over 221 food items which were delivered to the Acton Food Pantry this week. We had so much food that we needed a truck!
It has been wonderful to participate in the food drive. Helping our community and involving our children in this important work has also been fulfilling and eye opening for them. Working as a team has made this volunteer work possible and the added bonus is getting to know other parishioners in our community. My sons were already asking when the next drive will be!
-Kristen
We so appreciate the opportunity to grow relationships and make a meaningful impact for our community! It was such a collaborative and flexible way as working moms to participate in such an important ministry - the support structure was amazing! My daughter, Angela said, ‘It’s good to know I am helping those in need.’
-Kim
This outpouring of generosity will undoubtedly help a great many of our neighbors in Acton and Boxborough. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and care during this season of giving.
November food drive for the Acton Food Pantry
Join Good Shepherd families in collecting donations for the Acton Food Pantry
Let’s HELP our neighbors this November by donating food or money! Please bring in food or money to donate to the Acton Food Pantry by November 30th. Look for the bins in the church or write a check with a note to donate to the food drive.
The Pantry critically needs:
Baking: Flour, Sugar, Honey
Drinks: Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate
Dried Goods: Dried Beans, Dried Fruit , Nuts, Trail Mix
Hearty: Canned Meat/Fish, Canned Soup, Stew, Chili, Jelly, Jarred Pasta Sauce, Diced Tomatoes
Baby: Baby food, Diapers size 4-7 and baby wipes
Thank you for your support...together we can make a difference!
22-11-20 Lowell Transitional Living Center
https://ltlc.org/
Isaiah Stephens, Managing Director
Deb Leary, Resource Development Manager
https://ltlc.org/
Concert and cookout fundraiser
on behalf of the Acton and Stow Area Interfaith Partnership to Support Afghan Refugees
on behalf of the Acton and Stow Area Interfaith Partnership to Support Afghan Refugees
When: Friday July 29, 2022
Where: St Matthews Church 435 Central Street Acton, MA
Cookout starts at 6 PM Concert is 6:30 – 8PM
Join us for a cookout and concert from the Summertime Jazz Band on a summer evening! Food available starting at 6PM and the concert will begin at 6:30. Enjoy your dinner while listening to jazz tunes. If the weather is nice, we will be on the front lawn. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs to sit on the lawn. If it is raining, we will be indoors.
All proceeds from the event will directly support a family of six who has recently moved to Lowell, Massachusetts from Afghanistan. This family is being supported by six local churches in Acton, Stow and Shirley, including Church of the Good Shepherd.
Please sign up for tickets with this link:
If you would prefer to make a donation, use this link to First Parish Church of Stow and Acton
http://fpc-stow-acton.org/donate
Select "Give to Restricted Gift" and include the comment: " Interfaith Afghan Families".
How can you help?
Donate Food or Time! There are lots of opportunities to provide food or volunteer on the day of the event. We are also looking for several more people to provide grills and grillers. Please sign up here.
Attend! Please invite your friends and neighbors to this special evening for a special cause!
FAMILY FRIENDLY CONCERT TO BENEFIT THE AFGHAN FAMILY SETTLEMENT PROJECT
Save the Date (April 23) and Invite Your Friends
At 4:00pm Saturday April 23, Good Shepherd will host a performance by the a cappella octet NOTA (which stands for None of the Above). Pastoral Associate for Liturgy and Music Ellen Oak sings with this group. Their repertoire spans classical, jazz, pop, and folk genres.
All proceeds will benefit the Afghan Family Settlement Project (sponsored by six local communities of faith, of which Church of the Good Shepherd is one) to welcome an Afghan family in the area.
FREEWILL OFFERING: Suggested donation $20. All contributions of any size most welcome. All proceeds will go directly to the Afghan family project. Cash, check, or online through Good Shepherd website.
RECEPTION: All comers are invited to bring a light refreshment to share at the post-performance reception. Coffee, tea, and lemonade will be provided by Church of the Good Shepherd.
For more information about NOTA Click here.
Esperanza Academy Head of School joins us
Jadi Taveras, Head of Esperanza Academy, joins us for worship.
Jadi Taveras, Head of Esperanza Academy, joined us for worship on February 6th. For 14 years Good Shepherd has supported this tuition-free school for middle school girls in Lawrence.
Hear Jadi address our community:
The pupusa truck is coming January 29th!
Experience the favorite Salvadoran food!
Support the El Salvador Scholarship Fund and bring your family the experience of delicious Salvadoran pupusas!!
Place your order by Monday, January 24. Come to pick up your order at the entrance of the church Saturday, January 29 between 5:00 and 6:00 pm. Pupusas are coming from Fuente de Vida, an authentic Salvadoran restaurant in Worcester.
Pupusa varieties include cheese, cheese and beans, cheese and chicken, cheese and jalapeño, cheese and pork, cheese and loroco (similar to summer squash). A typical adult serving is two or three pupusas (though people have been known to happily eat more!). Dinner comes with red sauce, slaw, and fried plantains.
Send your order— how many of each variety you want — to Kevin Gross by Monday Jan. 24.. Any questions? Call Kathleen Zawicki. See the recent eblast for contact information.
No set cost but free will offerings for the El Salvador Scholarship Fund to support our 8 students are gratefully accepted! (Please write ‘El Salvador’ in the memo on your check.)
The work of an immigration resettlement agency
On December 12th Christine Hellman from the International Institute of New England described to us the important work of resettling the many families that have fled to the United States from Afghanistan in the last few months. If you missed her talk, you can find it here.
Learn about the ways Good Shepherd is Supporting Afghan Refugees.
Supporting Afghan evacuees
Three ways you can support the resettlement of Afghan evacuees
During the month of December there are several ways that you can provide support to Afghan evacuees settling in the Lowell area:
Contribute gift cards for stores easily accessed in the Lowell area (Target, Market Basket, Walgreens) or to online vendors. Send your gift card to the office with a note earmarking it for Afghan refugees or bring it to church and put it in the designated basket.
Join a cooking team. We are hoping to prepare a meal for a group of families temporarily housed in hotels on a Saturday or Sunday in December. You can join a team at the church or add to the meal from your own kitchen. If you like to grocery shop or cook or have experience in the church kitchen contact Barb Magee.
Contribute a winter coat or outer wear in excellent condition for an adult or child. These families are arriving with very little. There is a big box in the narthex. We will bring them to Lowell each week.