Service Ministries
Need a hand to hold? Or just a helping hand. Our Service Ministries are here for you.
Friends of the Homeless
This charitable ministry brings volunteers together to
make sandwiches for the less fortunate. They are distributed through The
Casa Maria Shelter and the Primavera Foundation in Tucson . Some 800
sandwiches are made on the 1 st , 3 rd , and 5 th Wednesday of the
month, and 400 are made on the 2 nd Monday of the month. Work begins at
7 am in the Holy Family Center and usually concludes by 8 am. The
Women's Guild and the St. Vincent de Paul Society support this work with
generous monthly donations to cover the expenses. Funds not spent are
saved to buy Turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Friends
also make up about 100 candy packages for distribution at Christmas.
Volunteers are welcome. There is an increased need for
extra hands in the summer months.
Interfaith
Volunteer Corps
Volunteers from neighboring congregations and the
at-large community make up this cooperative effort to provide support
services for the low income, homebound or disabled adults. Services
include phoning, visiting, shopping and running errands, simple home
repairs, light housekeeping, some meal preparation and respite
assistance. This effort is coordinated through Green Valley Assistance
Services at 250 E. Continental Rd. If you know of someone who might
benefit from this program you are encouraged to refer them. If you are
interested in serving, you are always welcome.
The Marthas
Members of
this committee enhance receptions after funerals and memorial services
by providing food such as casseroles, salads, desserts, or whatever is
needed to round out a meal or snack table. Contact Judy Sender at
625-4536 to volunteer your services
Mission
Helpers
All of us can help foreign missions and missionaries in their work in a
very easy way. When traveling, hang onto the complimentary soaps,
lotions, notions, and shampoos that are provided. Drop them off at the
Mission Helpers box in the Parish Office or deliver them to the Mission
Helpers on the last Thursday of the month after the 8:00 am Mass. These
articles are then packaged and distributed to the homeless. Cancelled
postage stamps are also of value as these can be sold by the foreign
mission to collectors and stamp dealers, thereby supporting their
missionary work. Volunteers interested in this ministry are asked to
donate a couple of hours each month to sort and pack the materials
donated. All are welcome.
Pro-Life/Reach-Out
The Pro-Life ministry works to promote awareness of Pro-Life issues in
the parish, through many activities and by providing pro-life
information through the Church Bulletins. The ministry began over ten
years ago at Our Lady of the Valley Parish. During this time they have
participated in regional and state activities, attended Pro-Life
conferences, arranged for speakers at our Parish and joined in the
annual March for Life. The Pro-Life ministry initiated the annual Giving
Tree at Christmas and the annual Clothesline in May in order to provide
Reachout with clothing, formula, and other items needed by new mothers.
Reachout is located in Tucson and works directly with women and their
babies. Pro-Life raises money by baked goods four times a year. This
money is used to buy flannel for the making of receiving blankets and
quilts and to buy towels, wash cloths, and formula for Reachout.
Pro-Life does not meet regularly, but does have the support of all
Pro-Life parishioners whose assistance is generously offered throughout
the year.
Quilters
As part of the Women' Guild, The Quilters have chosen a special
ministry: to make and distribute warm quilts to those in need. They make
mostly infant and baby quilts and also lap robes for the Veterans
Hospital, St. Mary's Cancer Center, and the nursing home in Nogales. In
2000, they made and sent 50 quilts to Bosnia. Quilters meet Wednesday
from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Room 225 of the Holy Family Center. There are
no dues. All materials are donated. Anyone may join and is welcome. The
only requirement is to know one end of a needle from the other and they
will even show you that!