Outreach

The mission of social outreach is to witness God's love by providing physical, emotional, and educational support to the community through social outreach programs. In addition, persons are needed to help constantly reassess our fulfillment of the seven themes of Catholic social teaching and to suggest and initiate new ministries.
	For More Info or to Volunteer

Baby Shower Drive: Collects donated baby items every spring for the Life Support Center.

Backpack Drive: Organizes annual August drive to benefit the Mercy Today Ministries. Backpacks are collected and distributed to prisoners being released who would otherwise have nothing.

Blood Drive: Organizes drives held several times a year in coordination with Penrose-St. Francis Hospital.

Christmas Giving Tree: Organizes this annual event, providing the gift of holiday spirit to needy children and senior citizens throughout the local community.

Coffee: Promotes the sale of fair trade coffee from the Earth Friendly Coffee Company. This company pays farmers fair wages for their crops. It is also organic and shade grown; tropical forests are not cleared to grow this coffee. This ministry also sells fair trade chocolate. CLICK HERE for the 2009 schedule.

Cooking/Baking Group: Prepares baked goods for soup kitchen meals, blood drives, and funeral luncheons. Additionally provides meals to parish families in times of special needs.

Environmental Ministry: Keeps parishioners informed about environmental issues and encourages sustainable living.

Food Pantry: Monthly collects and prepares food packages for distribution to those in need in our parish and the greater local community.

Fostering Hope: Program volunteers work as a team to assist and support a local foster family in the important work they do in caring for childen in foster care. Team members work together in various tasks to help the foster family: transporting children to appointments, bringing in meals on busy days, helping with yard work, tutoring, watching children so foster parents can have a "night out", etc. Strong relationships are formed and children's lives positively impacted with the love of Christ shown through the volunteers' actions. One interaction a month plus attendance of the monthly meetings are the minimal requirements for the ministry.

Funeral Luncheons: Provides hospitality after funerals for family and friends of the deceased by hosting a reception or lunch.

Habitat for Humanity: Organizes fund-raising and volunteer labor. One house built in 2007 in partnership with Sunrise Methodist Church, and one house completed in 2009 in association with 12 other churches.

Inter-Faith Hospitality Network: This program brings shelter, meals, and support services to families without homes. St. Francis of Assisi parishioners can volunteer with St. Michael Episcopal Church to serve as hosts, van drivers or meal service when St. Michael's serves as a shelter sight one or two weeks a year for families with children. The Network provides a case manager to acquire employment and affordable housing allowing for independence and self-sufficiency.

Kids in Need: Collects needed items annually and distributes to local organizations committed to serving children.

Marian House Soup Kitchen: On the fourth Saturday of every month, this volunteer group from St. Francis prepares and serves the meal at the Marian House Soup Kitchen in downtown Colorado Springs. Please see the bulletin for more information.

Organ Donation: Organizes parish involvement and participation in the annual Donor Registration Drive in conjunction with Colorado Donor Registration.

Prison Ministry: Coordinated by Mercy Today Ministries, this ministry trains volunteers and matches them with friendless prisoners who are within 18 months of release. Volunteer commitment requires monthly visits.

Respect Life: Focuses on education and support of Pro-Life activities in the parish and greater community. Supports pro-life legislation and organizes parish participation in the annual Roses for Life project. Coordinator sits on the larger Diocesan Respect Life Committee.

Soles4Souls: One time shoe collection that could become an annual event. Requires bulletin announcement, boxing and shipping shoes and any monetary donations. About 10 total hours of volunteer time.

Thanksgiving Brown Bag: Annually organizes collection and distribution of donated food items for needy families in Colorado Springs.