Saturday, May 18th Episcopal Charities held its Second Annual Diocese-Wide Day of Service and it was a SUCCESS! 147 total participants volunteered at 15 community outreach programs throughout the Diocese, this includes participation from Manhattan parish groups from St. Luke in the Field’s; Trinity Wall Street; St. Mary’s Harlem; St. Thomas Fifth Avenue; Cathedral of St. John the Divine; All Saints; Grace Church; St. Mary’s Staten Island; and Christ Church New Brighton. Other parish groups included: St. James’ Fordham, Bronx; St. Ann’s, Bronx; Christ Church, Bronxville; Church of the Atonement, Bronx; Christ Church, Rye; St. Andrew’s, South Fallsburg, and St. John’s, Monticello. Volunteers worked stocking food pantries, planting children’s gardens, serving meals to hungry New Yorkers, sorting clothes for community thrift stores, painting youth art spaces, and greeting homeless LGBTQ youth at a drop-in center.
The impact of these service projects was felt across the diocese from the West Village in Manhattan to Sullivan County in the Mid-Hudson region. Not only did our volunteers engage in meaningful service, they also interacted with each other making powerful connections. Danya Green, a volunteer from St. Ann’s who volunteered at St. Mary’s in Harlem last Saturday shared her experience. Danya said, “After volunteering at St. Mary’s on Saturday with my service group, I signed up to become a regular volunteer with the feeding program AND the shelter program! I used to live two blocks from the church and I feel like I am giving back to the community that gave me so much. Not only did I feel positive when I left on Saturday, but I connected with fellow Episcopalians from St. James’ and All Saint’s Church, who I am excited to stay in contact with.” If you are interested in connecting with a volunteer opportunity in any region of our Diocese, please contact the Episcopal Charities Volunteer Coordinator, Emily Collie-Beard at 212-932-7354 or email ecvolunteers@dioceseny.org!