At St. Peter’s we strive to live according to our Baptismal vows to “seek and serve Christ in all persons... and respect the dignity of every human being.”(BCP p. 305) Therefore, we are happily and busily engaged in a variety of outreach ministries that serve both the local and global communities.
We invite you to join us in our ministries of love and service. This page provides information on current or upcoming Community Outreach ministries at St. Peter’s – including contact information for volunteering and links to other agencies.
Christmas Soldier Boxes
Working in cooperation with Hope Lutheran Church in Freehold Township, St. Peter’s will be collecting personal hygiene and novelty items for service men and women stationed in harm’s way in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In order to reach out to our service men and women in time for Christmas, our fall 2010 Soldier Box collection will run from October 24th through November 21st. Lists of the requested or needed items will be posted in the parish hall and on the table in the narthex. Please contact Deacon Catherine at deacon@stpetersfreehold.org for more information on how you can get involved or if you have a friend or loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan to whom we can send a box.
Fall 2010 and Winter 2011 Community Outreach Projects at St. Peter's:
• Open Door After School Program
The Open Door After-School Program is a tutoring program for children in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders in Freehold Borough Schools. Students who are recommended by their teachers as needing assistance, come to the St. Peter's Parish House on Monday through Thursday afternoons at 3:00 PM. Volunteers help the children with their homework, engage them in educational games and play, and provide healthy snacks. Volunteers are needed for the 2010-2011 school year. Please contact Joan Vastbinder at 732.462.9598, to offer your help in this worthwhile program.
• Soup Kitchen
St. Peter’s is home to Feed All God’s Children, an organization of dedicated volunteers who have come together to address hunger issues in the greater Freehold Community. Each year nearly 40,000 hot lunches are served to members of the community who come to our parish house for a good meal and fellowship.
• St. Peter's Thrift Shop
A Community Service and a bargain lover’s dream! St. Peter’s thrift shop is located in our Keith Building on Throckmorton Street, next to the church. Our business hours are 10:00 to 2:00 Monday through Saturday. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays we have additional hours from 5:00 to 8:00 PM.
St. Peter’s Thrift Shop carries a wide variety of gently used clothing for adults and children, as well as household items. All items are in good condition and available at a fraction of their original retail prices.
• Community Suppers
Community suppers are held at St. Peter’s on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of most months. Working in partnership with other Freehold area congregations and organizations, our volunteers prepare and serve 100 – 150 meals at each supper. View our Community Supper calendar for the 2010-2011 program year or to get information on how you or your group can become involved in this worthwhile community service program.
• CROP Walk
The Freehold Area CROP Walk on October 17, 2010 was a great success. Crop Walk is a campaign designed by Church World Service to raise awareness and funding in the fight against world hunger. The Freehold area CROP Walk is sponsored by the Freehold Clergy Association and includes participation by local Christian, Jewish and Islamic congregations. Proceeds of the local CROP Walk events are split between local area food banks and internationally recognized hunger relief organizations. This year's walkers raised over $6,000.00 in the fight against world hunger.
• Soldier Boxes
Working in cooperation with the people of Hope Lutheran Church in Freehold Township, St. Peter’s collects personal hygiene and novelty items for service men and women stationed in harm’s way in Afghanistan and Iraq. In Spring of 2010, we helped send 11 boxes to military personnel.
In order to reach out to our service men and women in time for Christmas and Chanukah, our fall 2010 Soldier Box collection will run from October 24th through November 21st. Please contact Deacon Catherine at deacon@stpetersfreehold.org for more information on how you can get involved or if you have a friend or loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan to whom we can send a box.
• Adopt-a-Family Christmas Outreach Program
Every year at Christmas-time, the people of St. Peter’s provide Christmas gifts and Christmas joy needy families and individuals in the greater Freehold area. Beginning in early November, recipients and donors are matched anonymously by the program’s coordinator. Donors use recipient “wish lists” when shopping for the gifts. Gifts are wrapped and delivered in time for Christmas giving.
The 2010 Adopt-a-Family program will begin on November 1st and run until December 19th. Look for more information to be posted on the website as we get closer to November.
• Open Door Food Collection
St. Peter’s conducts a year-round food drive for the Open Door, an independent 501(c3) agency that operates a food pantry and provides other social services to those in need. If you would like to donate non-perishable food items, please place them in designated baskets in the church narthex (the entryway just inside the front door). Your donations of groceries help Open Door provide meals for our neighbors who need assistance to get through tough times.
• Thanksgiving Food Drive
The 2010 Thanksgiving Food Drive for Open Door will begin on Sunday November 7th. Parishioners are encouraged to provide non-perishable food items appropriate for a holiday dinner. Frozen turkeys will be accepted at the Open Door on Sunday, November 21st. Hours for delivery of the turkeys will be announced in November. Contact Deacon Catherine at deacon@stpetersfreehold.org for more information.
• Emergency Housing Program
In winter of 2009-2010, Saint Peter’s Church joined with other houses of worship in Freehold, Manalapan and Howell, to provide shelter to homeless men in Monmouth County. The Freehold Clergy Association Emergency Housing Program provided safe, comfortable nightly accommodations and hot meals to over 40 individual s over a 4-month period.
The 2010-2011 Emergency Housing Program will begin on December 1, 2010 and run through March of 2011. Those interested in volunteering should contact Deacon Catherine by phone at 732.431.8383, or at deacon@stpetersfreehold.org.