Knights of Columbus grateful for public generosity during pandemic

By Ed Pierce

Real generosity exists and the Windham Knights of Columbus have witnessed it in person.

Over the course of the past seven years, the Knights of Columbus have hosted the popular “Claws for a Cause” Lobster Dinner each October to assist in raising money for the Windham Food Pantry and through that event, the Knights have collected and donated on average about $2,500 to the food pantry since its inception.

But because of COVID-19 restrictions, the Knights of Columbus had to scrub this year’s annual fundraiser when the need for financial assistance for the food pantry was greater than ever.

In late October, the Knights of Columbus appealed to the public to step up and help out by contributing voluntary tax-deductible donations to the organization so that they would be able to offer some help to the food pantry.

According to Dave Spada, District Deputy and Maine Regional Training Director for the Maine State Council of the Knights of Columbus, the help they so desperately sought did indeed arrive.

Spada said that more than 100 people from throughout the Lakes Region made donations to the effort.

“The Knights had an initial goal of $2,500 and we kick-started the goal with a donation of $1,000,” he said.

Because of the significant donations coming in from the public, in November the Knights of Columbus were able to present the Windham Food Pantry with a check in the amount of $4,350, the largest private donation ever received by the food pantry to date.

“The donation enables families in need to receive food throughout the holiday season,” Spada said. We are humbled by the response from the community and we thank you for your support.

The Windham Knights of Columbus is an organization of Catholic men who lead, serve, protect and defend in the community. They share a desire to be better husbands, fathers, sons, neighbors, and role models and to put charity and community first.

The Knights of Columbus organization was founded in 1882 in Connecticut as a fraternal benefit society and remains true to its founding principles of charity, unity, and fraternity to this very day.

They remain committed to rendering mutual aid and assistance to the sick, disabled and needy members of the community and to promote intellectual fellowship through educational, charitable, religious, social welfare, war relief and public relief work.

Windham’s Knights of Columbus chapter at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church is one of more than 14,000 councils and 1.8 million members throughout America, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Poland, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, Guatemala, Guam and Saipan.

The Windham Food Pantry, 8 School Road, Windham, is open year-round to Windham residents with proof of residency. It provides food monthly to Windham residents in need of assistance.

For more information about the Windham Food Pantry, call 207-892-1907.<

'Operation Summer Snacks' establishes new record for Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish

"Operation Summer Snacks,” an initiative of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Windham, annually collects food for children in need who receive bags of food from the “Backpackers” program during the school year but, in many cases, do not have the snacks during the summer.

After collecting more than 2,500 snack items last year, organizers of “Operation Summer Snacks” didn’t know what to expect this year with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting communities across the state and country.

Volunteers for Our Lady of Perpetual
 Help's 'Operation Summer Snacks'
gather items in the Walmart parking
lot to be donated to the Windham Food
Pantry. The program set a new record
this year in the number of food items
donated by area residents.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

“In this time of uncertainty, we didn’t know whether this program would work out of our house instead of being based in the parish,” said Jill Russell-Morey, a parish catechetical leader who helped create the initiative in 2016.

Gratefully, it has.

“We have collected and donated 3,853 snack items which surpassed our donation number last year by over 1,000. This is incredible,” Russell-Morey said. “All of those tiny bags of pretzels, crackers, fruit snacks, juice pouches, granola bars, and fruit cups turned into an amazing offering to the food pantry.”

“Operation Summer Snacks” works with Windham Food Pantry to deliver the donations to those in need. Through the program, each child receives various individual-sized snacks like raisins, crackers, fruit cups, granola bars, and other items.

One big change this year is that the food pantry requested that the donations not be bagged by the volunteers, which enabled the operation to be conducted by Russell-Morey, her family, and friends out of her house.

“They want all original packages which allows for less handling of the packages and easier storage,” she said.

In addition, the generosity of the community shone through with checks, cash, and Venmo donations. One parishioner even had a large box of snacks sent directly to Jill’s house from Sam’s Club.

“Our young friends in this community have reaped the benefits of this generosity and we are so thankful for the people who responded to this call for what they have to provide people with what they need,” Russell-Morey said.

“Operation Summer Snacks” has entered its final week for 2020 and anyone wishing to still contribute money or snacks toward this initiative should email Russell-Morey directly at jill.russell-morey@portlanddiocese.org.

The last day for the initiative will be Monday, Aug. 10. <

 

Enthusiastic response greets ‘Operation Summer Snacks’ in Windham

The annual “Operation Summer Snacks,” an initiative of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Windham, collects food for children in need who receive bags of food from the “Backpackers” program during the school year but, in many cases, do not have the snacks during the summer.

It is an initiative that hits home for recipients, and this year, it’s starting there, too, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My family is running it out of our house this summer,” said Jill Russell-Morey, a parish catechetical leader who helped create the initiative in 2016. “We weren’t sure how we were going to be able to swing it with the pandemic situation.”

But where there is a will, there is a way, and “Operation Summer Snacks” has never been a program to shy away from long odds. In just a few years, an idea of finding a way to help local families in need during the summer months turned into an initiative supported by parishioners and community members that totaled more than 2,500 individual snack items and 226 bags of snacks in 2019.

Through the program, each child receives various individual-sized snacks like raisins, crackers, fruit cups, granola bars, and other items.

This year, despite the many challenges, the initiative is off to its best start ever.

“I’ve had a bunch of people contact me to learn where to send donations. Between checks, cash, Venmo donations, as well as stuff being dropped at our house, my daughters and I delivered 1,616 snacks to the Windham Pantry last week alone!” said Russell-Morey. “That next day I received another $210 in checks from parishioners in the mail! It’s been incredible!”

Even with the pandemic, the response to the program has been astounding.

“It’s amazing. One generous lady had a large box of snacks sent directly to my house from Sam’s Club,” Russell-Morey said.

“Operation Summer Snacks” will continue buying and donating through the beginning of August.

“We work with the Windham Food Pantry and they really need our help, especially this summer,” Russell-Morey said. “One big change is that the pantry has requested that we not break the original packaging up this year and bag everything ourselves. They want all original packages which allows for less handling of the packages and easier storage.”

Those who can assist are invited to contact Russell-Morey directly at jill.russellmorey@portlanddiocese.org.

“The community we live in is amazing and the parishioners and supporters always help when needed,” she said. “The Holy Spirit continues to touch and work through people which provides great hope during these difficult times.” <

Local churches keep faith as some prepare to reopen

Catholics in Windham and Raymond who attend
 Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Windham
 will be to worship at church again starting next week,
 but with some restrictions as a result of the
 COVID-19 pandemic. Shown is the statue of Mar
 in the Our Lady of Perpetual Help garden.
 PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

By Ed Pierce

Area churches have kept the faith despite some trying times the past few months yet are planning the way forward with an eye on safety and health in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With the state imposing restrictions for in-person worship gatherings on March 15 to protect the public from the coronavirus, many churches launched unique initiatives to connect with congregations in other ways while awaiting opportunities to reopen. Some restrictions for church gatherings have been lifted effective May 29 based upon guidelines and recommendations made to Gov., Janet Mills by the Maine Council of Churches and paving the way for churches to reopen across the state.

Rev. Jane Field is the pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Windham and serves as Executive Director of Maine Council of Churches. She helped craft guidelines for reopening churches across the state including allowing worship services of up to 50 people; mandating that face mask coverings be worn, following proper social distancing, eliminating handshakes and personal contact, and thoroughly cleaning surfaces following gatherings.

Field said that Faith Lutheran’s small and vibrant congregation has adapted to changing times and strived to keep all church members engaged and involved during the pandemic.

“We are a family-sized congregation, which means everyone knows each other very, very well.  We don't let anyone slip between the cracks,” Field said. “We have one member who is 101 years old and living in a retirement community that is on lockdown, so we all take turns calling her several times a week as she has limitations that make it impossible for her to join us for online worship or prayer services.”

She said another way that church members have stayed unified in the absence of regular church worship is through nightly prayer services conducted online on Zoom from Tuesday through Saturday.

“It’s a great way to speak with everyone, to be able to see how folks are doing, and take stock of what help, if any, anyone needs,” Field said.  “We also offer online bible study classes, and we gather for worship every Sunday morning via Zoom. We like that platform because it is live, in real-time, and participants can engage and speak with one another unlike just watching a pre-recorded sermon or service privately on your own time.”

According to Field, it has been very difficult to offer pastoral care to those who have been hospitalized during the pandemic because of the prohibition on visitors, so Faith Lutheran has relied on hospital chaplains to provide care and has stayed in touch with them through the chaplains.

“We are all holding up well, staying connected and enjoying some of the innovation and creativity we can experiment with in our worship services such as video clips, power point presentations, and dialogue sermons,” Field said. “We have also adapted a communion liturgy to be appropriate for online services, not holy communion, but a sharing in broken bread and cup, each in our own home, with prayers of thanksgiving and lament.”

Rev. Sally Colegrove, pastor of the Windham Hill United Church of Christ, said that she has been writing a column and sending it to her congregation every day during the pandemic.

“I try to include news from members, things that are happening in the world, concern for the seven of our members who are in the medical professions and spiritual meditations and prayers,” Colegrove said. “On Sundays we are holding Zoom worship services at 10 a.m. Anyone is welcome to join us, they just have to send me their email address so that I can send them the zoom address and password.”

Colegrove said that the church carillon is rung every day for about a half hour as a message to the Windham Hill UCC congregation and neighbors that they are still there, and still thinking about them, and still maintaining a presence here on Windham Hill even as they move to Zoom gatherings.

“We are thinking about how we can respond as a congregation to the needs of those around us. We have helped out with a small delivery of fuel oil and are ready to assist if we hear of those who are in need of food,” she said.

“Several of our members, mostly our college young people, have volunteered to do grocery shopping for elders and we have paired up shoppers and those in need. I have been calling the members of the congregation to check in, and many of our folk have also been checking with one another to stay connected.”

Catholics in Windham and Raymond who attend Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Windham have been able to watch Mass posted online every day courtesy of the Diocese of Portland, but will also have an option to worship at church next week.

Starting June 1. the Diocese of Portland is allowing Maine Catholic churches to hold public Masses with restrictions and safeguards in place.

The regular weekday and weekend Mass schedule at Our Lady of Perpetual Help will be offered at 8 and 10:15 a.m. Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 a.m. and Saturdays at 4 p.m.

Diocese officials say that facial masks or face coverings are required to attend, with social distancing guidelines maintained and no more than 50 worshippers allowed in church at one time.“We are, of course, anxious to return to our churches and have the opportunity to celebrate Mass,” said Bishop Robert Deeley in a press release. “We have been preparing for the last few weeks for a safe restoration of Mass in accord with the guidelines of the CDC. There are a lot of things involved, but we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to keep people safe and fulfill the mission of the church.”

For Catholic parishioners uncomfortable at attending church in person at this time, Deeley said that a dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass continues to be in place, and the extensive list of live-streamed Masses being offered at churches around Maine (www.portlanddiocese.org/live-streamed-Masses) will continue as most parishioners won’t be able to attend in person due to the capacity restrictions.

“Some of the restrictions may seem to be too cautious for the faithful who wish to return to public Masses at this time,” said the bishop. “However, ensuring the safety and health of our clergy, employees, students, volunteers, parishioners, and the greater community remains our top priority.” <