About St. John the Merciful Neighborhood Outreach

For this ministry to continue to provide meals and hope to its neighbors in need, we invite you to join us in replacing vitally-needed equipment, such as a dishwasher, large refrigerator, deep freezer, stove top/oven, etc. The Mother Maria of Paris Charitable Ministry has already committed $3,000, although $1,500 is still needed so that this outreach ministry can continue to serve its neighbors for years to come.

Prior to the pandemic, the outreach program served dinners on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and lunches on Saturdays and Sundays. Over the past few months, they have temporarily stopped serving meals on Thursday evenings.

During weeknights, they average about 8-12 meals. On the weekends, they serve between 20 and 30 meals. The outreach program continues all year long, including holidays. On a yearly basis, we serve approximately an average of 3200 meals.

Since the pandemic, they have transitioned to a carry-out system rather than eat-in. Currently, they pack bagged meals which include items such as sandwiches, fruit cups, chips/pretzels, yogurt, raisins, granola bars, toaster pastries, cookies and water. Sometimes, they are also able to provide hot meals in containers as well. Two local Orthodox churches help provide food occasionally and sometimes members of St. Gregory’s also bring packaged sandwiches to supplement our meals.

Besides the meals served, the outreach program has a food pantry which they keep stocked with a variety of non-perishable foods and personal hygiene items. Whenever a client comes to receive a meal, they can also choose items from the pantry to take with them. They also have a limited amount of clothing that is available for clients to choose from. In the winter months, They provide gloves, hats, socks and thermal underwear.