st. vincent de paul

We can anticipate many food donations around Thanksgiving time, but at the present time, our pantry is nearly empty. If individuals or groups can help, we would be most grateful. At the present time, our needs include: See our list below in GREEN

We give one roll of paper towels and two rolls of toilet tissue to each family, so we are always in need of these items. Anything you can do to help will be appreciated. And thank you for remembering to donate to the poor boxes!
Thanks, also, to all who are part of the "pantry process," those who bring food from church, sort it, check dates, stock the shelves and rotate the stock. We are most grateful for every helping hand!

It is not too late to sign up to prepare a Thanksgiving basket for one of our families. Individuals, Scout troops, families and groups are invited to stop at our office to pick up a list of items to fill a basket. If it is not possible to prepare a whole basket, individual items will be gladly accepted. For our guests who live alone, we will provide a supermarket gift card, so these may be donated as well. We have a freezer ready to receive turkeys, and would be happy to receive certifi¬cates for turkeys as well. Our families are most grateful for whatever you are able to share.

 

Shopping List for Our Food Pantry
_______Jam, Jelly                               ________Pasta
_______Canned Fruits                        ________Goya type beans
_______Instant Potatoes                     ________Canned Vegetables
_______Cereal, hot & cold                 ________Cake Mixes, puddings
_______Tuna Fish                               ________Paper Goods
              regular & low-sodium             ________ Laundry / Dish Detergent
_____    Canned Meat                         ________ Toiletries
_______ Whole / Crushed Tomatoes   ________ Baby Items:
_______Jars of Spaghetti Sauce                            Formula, Wipes
_______Assorted Beans                                       Pampers
_______Boxed Rice                                             Baby Food
______  Hearty and regular soups
_______Coffee / Tea
                            
Many thanks to those who regularly contibute to the food pantry and poor boxes. As a result of your consistant generosity, we are able to meet the needs of those who come to our office for assistance. The summer time is always a challenge since people are away for vacation, but we ask that you not forget the less fortunate who are with us year-round. We ask you to refer to our shopping list. Food items may be placed in the box at the back of the church or brought to our office. Thank you for remembering the less fortunate.
                                        Don't forget "Buy One Get One Free !"  

Remember that there is a clothing bin located at the Salem Lane entrance to the parking lot for your convenience. Your donations are greatly appreciated by those in need.

(Please do not leave clothing at the St. Vincent de Paul Office since we do not have that kind of storage space.)

Energy Assistance Available: In cooperation with LIP A and Keyspan, many pro¬grams are available to help people meet the high cost of oil, gas and electricity. Although there are income guidelines, they have been raised this year to include more people who might be eligible for the grants. Please call or stop in to our office to see if you qualify. We will be happy to help you!

Fidelis Care: A representative of Fidelis Care, the New York State Catholic health plan, will be in the parish center on Fri¬day, November 14th from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon.. If you are uninsured or underinsured, please come and speak with the representative. She will be happy to enroll you, or direct you to the proper type of insurance.

TEEN SERVICE GROUP:
With the guidance of Ted Blach and Diana Buchanan and other interested adults, an exciting enterprise it taking shape in our parish. An enthusiastic group of teens, who are calling themselves Charitable Kidz, has been plotting and planning events which will benefit our community. This weekend they conducted a food drive at Pathmark and King Kullen for the benefit of the less fortunate members of the Levittown community. Goodness abounds in Levittown!

Meals-on-Wheels  
Catholic Charities Home Delivered Meals program has meals available for seniors 60 years of age who live alone without an aide, who are unable to drive and who are unable to prepare meals for themselves due to a medical condition. If you are interested and meet the criteria please call (516)377-2691.Our parish has established a partnership with Catholic Charities and our parishioners deliver meals to seniors in Levittown.

If you are interested in delivering a meal or two once a week or being a back-up driver please call Sr Christine at 731-6074. Catered meals will be delivered to our office at 9:30am and will be taken directly to the shut-in residents of Levittown. This is an extremely valuable service and we are grateful for our dedicated drivers.

 

Equipment for the Sick:
We are not able to accept sick-room supplies because we have no storage space, but if you need supplies, please call us before purchasing any equipment. We would be happy to lend or give you what you need.

We are also unable to accept any clothing. We ask that if you have clothing to donate, please bring it to the thrift shop at St. Frances de Chantal in Wantagh, just south of Jerusalem Avenue on the left. They are very good to anyone we send to their thrift shop. They provide a voucher for clothing and other items without any charge to us because they know we support them by bringing items to them for sale.

In our office, we have a basket with small religious items—holy cards, medals, rosaries, etc. Frequently, our visitors will look through the basket and take an item or two. These seem to be items that come in the mail from groups looking for donations. If you have any items and don’t know what to do with them, we would be happy to accept, new, small religious articles for distribution. We are unable to accept large, used religious articles and books. Thank you.

 

Ministry of Praise:

Do you know that at the back of the church under the spiral staircase on the sacristy side is the Hear Our Prayer book in which you may write the intentions you wish our Ministers of Praise to include in their daily prayer. On the first of each month, the Ministers of Praise receive all the intentions listed over the course of the previous month. About thirty men and women from our parish have committed themselves to praying each day for these intentions. If you would like to become a Minister of Praise and join this wonderful group of pray-ers, call our office. We will provide a book, a cross and a certificate to those who participate in this ministry. This ministry is perfect for those who are unable to get out, but who would like to be involved in the spiritual life of our parish.
We will be introducing a new Hear Our Prayer book this weekend. You will find it at the back of church under the spiral staircase near the sacristy. Feel free to include your intentions in this book. It is important that you write or print clearly so the intentions can be listed and mailed to the Ministers of Praise who commit themselves to prayer each day for your intentions. If you would like to become a Minister of Praise, please contact our office.

Shawl Ministry

This is a group of people that gather to knit or crochet together in a prayful setting. These shawls will then be distributed to new moms, those who are ill or otherwise in distress, along with the prayers and good wishes of those who created them.Lessons can also be provided. If you would like to join this group, please come to the Parish Center after the 9:00 am Mass on Thursday mornings .   All are welcome.