This time of year is the time of the most giving by the most people. But the St. Francis Out Reach Committee’s giving is not just at Christmas but gives throughout the year. It’s volunteers members meet monthly but work quietly everyday of the year assessing community needs and ways that they may help under the direction of committee chair Sue Grindle.

This month a critical need came up and 63 blankets were purchased by Francis Outreach and delivered to Downeast Community Partnership. 

When St. Francis Outreach volunteer Marty Hamblen spoke to the good folks there they told her that they are now up to 550 families in need just for Christmas, over and above those they normally serve.

Once again this year St. Francis put up a Giving Tree to help brighten Christmas for Children at H.O.M.E. and Emmaus and once again our church community came through with flying colors

Click here for Downeast Community Partners

All of this was made possible by the kindness of not just the St. Francis Family but also Blue Hill Books that not only gave a deep discount for the books but put little tags in the books denoting the appropriate age. Also, Out on a Whimsey discounted their prices to $10.00 per child while still providing top notch gifts. So both stores were able to cover their expenses and still giving them money to help them survive this year and made it possible for us to help more children. And to help us make this a more bountiful Christmas for those families. Hammond Lumber provided a Big Check both literally and figuratively:

Matt Russell and Alan Hamblen from Hammond Lumber present a donation check for St. Francis by The Sea Outreach to purchase toys and books for children in need this Christmas. Assisting are William and Jacob Adams, two of the children at St. Francis. As Outreach Chair Sue Grindle put it, “It truly was a win-win for everyone!”