| Season of Peace Service Project is an excellent short term service project for students from Kindergarten to 12th Grade. Last year over 2 dozen Archdiocesan parishes and schools participated in the project with the House of Peace. This simple to implement program provided almost 1,000 food boxes and thousands of toys for the needy. All materials and pre-printed boxes are provided free of charge and speakers are available.
The House of Peace feeds 1,000 economically poor households at Thanksgiving and again at Christmas. They also collect and donate new toys to an average of 2,000 children in these households at Christmas. Parishes are invited to offer food or toy drives to be distributed to the poor. Speakers are available for religious education programs, food or toy drive “kick – offs” or “wrap-ups” and after Mass on Sunday. Schedule a speaker now before all of the best dates are gone!
The House of Peace provides parishes with boxes pre-printed with the “shopping list” of items to be packed inside. Only commodities in cans, boxes or packages are collected – no liquids. Recipients receive supermarket gift cards for the turkey, milk and butter.
Example: The Tosa Trio invited Br. Mark Carrico, O.F.M, Capuchin to speak after a youth mass and then had all of the students pack the food donated by the parishes into boxes. Br. Mark spoke briefly on Catholic social teaching and the Franciscan ministry to the poor. He then stayed to visit with the teachers and students while they packed boxes. Many other models of service were also implemented last year.
For resources you can use to lead a food or toy drive, see the attached documents. If you have any questions, contact Jim Van Hoven at the House of Peace, 1702 W. Walnut St., Milwaukee. Call 414-374-8841 ext.26 or 414-416-4284. |
