In The Community
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
--Mark 12:31
We believe an important way to Make the Love of God More Widely Known is having an active, volunteer-rich and supportive community presence that targets critical personal needs beyond our doors for people of all denominations. Our St. Paul's Outreach Committee (SPOC) and its many volunteers focus on the needs of island residents and, when appropriate, needs beyond our island's shores.
From a modest beginning in 2020, our St. Paul's Suppers program now provides a dinner to as many as 100 people each week throughout the year. In addition, we are delighted to support a number of island organizations including the Fairwinds counseling center, A Safe Place and the Nantucket Community School. Our Laundry Love program at Holdgate's Island Laundry supports many families. More than 40 St. Paul’s volunteers commit their time and talent to these ministries. Please join us. A list of our current activities is below. Please contact the church office to get involved or to donate to a program.
LAUNDRY LOVE
This year will be the seventh year that the St. Paul’s Mission Committee’s Laundry Love program has provided laundry assistance to fellow islanders designated as needing a hand with its cost. At the height of the pandemic, the SPMC had to change its traditional in-person assistance to a monthly mailing of laundry cards to program participants. Thankfully, the Laundry Love volunteers have now resumed in-person laundry assistance at Holdgate’s Island Laundry. The SPMC provides laundry cards to other community non-profits for their own discretionary distribution.
NCS SNACKS PROGRAM
St. Paul’s has had the privilege of assisting the Nantucket Community School in supporting the children of Nantucket since 2021. SMPC provides daily snacks for all of the children enrolled in Nantucket Community School programs. These include applesauce, Goldfish, Sun Chips, and Smartfood popcorn. The snacks are available every school day and are welcomed by all families.
READY, SET, READ
Building on our initial work with the Snacks Program at the Nantucket Community School, the SPMC provides volunteer readers for “Ready, Set, Read.” This is a reading program for kindergarten students enrolled in the NCS Extended Day, an after-school program. A dedicated group of volunteers from the parish read weekly with students, one-on-one, at the elementary school. The books we read with the children are selected by the NCS’s Coordinator of Early Childhood Education. The program was brought to NCS and originally funded by a generous donor who supplied the initial books (and the tote bags used to ferry them). Additional books to replenish the library have been donated by our rector, Father Max.
FOOD PANTRY
St. Paul’s has long supported the Nantucket Food Pantry and donates food and supplies to it on a weekly basis. We welcome other members of the community who would like to contribute to that effort. Please pick up one of our blue bags (with shopping list enclosed) and when you return it to us, it will go directly to the Food Pantry.
SUPPERS PROGRAM
The SPMC initiated “St. Paul’s Suppers” in May 2020 to serve our fellow islanders, with an emphasis on helping individuals and families affected by the pandemic. Ruth and Tim Pitts of Centre Street Bistro prepare nutritious meals on Wednesday afternoons at St Paul’s. The meals are then delivered by our volunteers. Presently, we deliver them to about 70 households. This year, SPMC’s Suppers Program will also continue to provide meals to A Safe Place and The Warming Place. Both organizations provide critical support for the island community.
FAIRWINDS SUPPORT
The SPMC actively supports Fairwinds, Nantucket’s only full-time Mental Health and Addiction Counseling Center. During the isolating years of the pandemic, SPMC was able to provide meal cards to the Fairwinds counseling staff in recognition of its especially challenging workload. As 2023 begins, the SPMC looks forward to hosting in-person events for Fairwinds staff as a “thank you” for its immeasurable contribution to our community’s overall health.
J1 BIKE PROGRAM
St. Paul's has collected a library of 20 bicycles to lend to J1 visa international students working in Nantucket during the summer. We are looking for assistance with repairs and for donations of lights for the bikes plus their installation. Sheriff Jim Perelman, a parishioner, is providing helmets for riders.
CONTACT ANY OF THE PROGRAM DIRECTORS BY CALLING OR EMAILING THE CHURCH OFFICE,