Outreach Projects

Through our many outreach efforts we seek to engage people of all ages as we extend Christ's hands of love and support to neighbors and friends both near and far.  Here are some of our current projects and partner organizations.

Feeding & Support Ministries

Yellow Bags - a supply of reusable cloth shopping bags imprinted with the logo "St David's Cares" is available near the tables at the entrance doors to the church.  People are invited to take one or more bags and to return them each month with foods purchased at their favorite grocery store using the Healthy Foods list, also available on the back table.  The bags are delivered weekly to the food pantry at the Hampden United Methodist Church and the bags later returned to St David's for reuse.

Manna Bags - members of the congregation are periodically asked to contribute a variety of small, essential items, such as bottled water, nutrition bars, tooth brushes & toothpaste, combs, and socks, that are assembled into gallon-sized ziplock bags by members of the EYC (Episcopal Youth Community), Outreach Committee, and church staff.  These bags are then available for congregants to pick-up on their way out of church to have available in their cars to hand out to people in need whom we encounter on the street corners of our city. 

Purple Bags - several weeks before Thanksgiving, and again at Easter, people are invited to take a purple bag and, using a special shopping list, are asked to fill it with the fixings for a holiday dinner for a family of four.  The bags are returned to church and placed at the baptismal font where they are blessed and delivered, together with a $20 gift card from Giant Supermarket, to the Hampden Family Center.  We typically provide 100 families with a special meal each Thanksgiving and Easter.

Cooking for Paul's Place - About once a month a rotating group of parishioners gather in the kitchen of the church to prepare a casserole meal that will serve between 300-350 lunchtime visitors to Paul's Place in the Pig Town neighborhood of downtown Baltimore.  Cooking begins following the 8 o'clock service and continues through the morning as the 'shift' changes, allowing volunteers to come to the service of their choice and still be a part of the preparations.  Meanwhile, the wonderful aromas ascend into the worship space as a reminder of the interconnections between prayer, ministry and mission.

Serving at Paul's Place - on several announced dates each month, volunteers are solicited from within the congregation to spend about 3 hours volunteering at Paul's Place.  Upon arrival, assignments are given to help with serving food, dispensing water, cleaning tables, or helping in the Marketplace -- the onsight "store" where daily visitors can get clothing, linens, and even some small appliances.  Volunteers come away with a new appreciation for the significant impact Paul's Place makes in Baltimore City, as an outreach center that serves between 300-400 individuals daily.

Ministries to Children

Christmas Angels - partnering with the Hampden Family Center, each year in early December individuals and families are invited to take the name of one or more children and fulfill their Christmas 'wish' list.  Gifts are wrapped and returned to the church, placed around the Baptismal font and blessed, and delivered to the center for distribution just before Christmas, usually benefiting between 60-80 neighborhood families.

Mitten Tree - During the Advent season, trees are placed at the back of the church and inside the entrance to the Day School and people are invited to hang mittens, scarves, and hats which are distributed after Christmas through partner programs to children in need throughout the greater Baltimore area.

Scholarships for Camp - Each summer, depending upon need, St David's partners with various organizations to help provide a summer camp experience for one or more children.  In the recent past we have supported the Church of the Holy Nativity in Pimlico to help send children to camp at the Bishop Claggett Center, and with the Hampden Family Center to sponsor a child in their Summer Enrichment Program.  In 2016, the trustees of the St. David's 50th Anniversary Fund provided a grant for the newly established Bishop Eugene Sutton High School Scholars Summer Enrichment Program -- an initiative developed through the partnership of the Diocese of Maryland and Morgan State University.

Backpacks for Children - In June the outreach committee provides approximately 75 new, empty backbacks for individuals and families to fill with school supplies and return to the church in late July.  The backbacks are then transported to the Hampden Family Center where they are distributed to elementary aged children as they begin the school year.

Ministries to Adults

Cookies Because We Care - For the last couple of years families have been invited to bake cookies at home and then bring them to a Saturday morning gathering the weekend before Valentine's Day.  The cookies are distributed on plates, wrapped in festive celephane & ribbon and then delivered, together with a card made by children from the Sunday school, to homebound members of the congregation.

Shoeboxes and Mugs for Mariners - Partnering with the Baltimore International Seafarers' Center, each year we provide special supplies of caring to the seafarers that visit the Port of Baltimore.  In December members of the Outreach Committee prepare special 'shoe box' gifts for the mariners -- filled with warm socks, knit caps, pencils & pads of paper, a deck of playing cards, a pocket-sized New Testament, and other simple gifts that help them know that we are thinking about them. In January people clean out their cupboards of gently used mugs and bring them to the church where our Sunday school classes stuff each one with decorated packets of instant cocoa.

Community Support

Blood Drives - Each Fall and Spring the Outreach Committee sponsors a blood drive in partnership with the American Red Cross that typically collects 30-40 pints at each drive.

Fiesta 5K to Benefit ALS Research - In May 2016 St. David's members were part of the 120 individuals that made up Team Nelly (named for a member of St. David's has been living with ALS since being diagnosed in early 2010) which participated in this annual run/walk to help fund research through the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins.  This year, team raised the largest amount of any team - over $28,000.

Paul's Place Huff & Puff - In November of 2015 St. David's members participated for the first time in the Annual Huff & Puff race/walk to benefit the programs and mission of Paul's Place.  Our parishioners join over 375 runners & walkers to raise over $34,000 -- and enjoyed a wonderful day of fun & fellowship!

Race for the Cure - In October 2012 St. David's fielded a team of 36 members who gathered pledges in excess of $5,000 to support the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.  The team gathered with tens of thousands of participants on a chilly but sunny Sunday morning to walk, run, and race to help eradicate cancer in our day.

International Mission

Youth Trip to Honduras - St David's provides financial support for this important outreach ministry experience for our youth through payment of program fees, scholarships, and travel expenses for the Director of Christian Education to accompany the team each year.  Click here to learn more about the program and see a slideshow of a recent trip.