Giving Sunday On the second Sunday of each month, before all the Masses, items are collected in the church courtyard for the St. Augustine Wellston Center thrift shop and food pantry. St. Joseph parishioners who wish to participate in the program may pick up a schedule of particular items to be collected from the Parish Office.
Giving Sunday Drivers Individuals or families volunteer to deliver the Giving Sunday items collected at St. Joseph Parish to the St. Augustine Wellston Center, 1705 Kienlen Ave. The items are loaded during the 11am Mass on Giving Sunday. This service takes about two hours to complete. To volunteer or obtain more information call Pat at 636/227-8704.
Sandwich Program Each Friday volunteers provide sandwiches and fruit for the homeless and needy. These donations are taken to inner-city churches and care facilities for distribution to the poor. For more information on this year-round service, contact Bob Diekemper, 636/391-7614.
Sts. Peter & Paul Soup Kitchen Typically on the third Wednesday of each month, volunteers go to Sts. Peter & Paul Soup Kitchen (in the Soulard area) to prepare, serve and clean up after the meal. The volunteers leave St. Joseph Parish at 2:15 pm sharp and return by 7:00 pm. Other volunteers bake desserts at home for this group. Baked goods should be dropped off at the parish office by 2:00 pm. A schedule of dates and needed baked goods is available in the parish office.
Unseen Dinner Guest Program Volunteers prepare single servings of soup or stew, or set aside individual portions from their family meal for an "unseen dinner guest." Each meal is frozen, labeled, dated, and brought to the freezers in the garage on the upper parking lot on the fourth Tuesday of each month. The meals are taken to a parish in the inner city which distributes them to those in need.
Christmas Outreach Each Christmas St. Joseph Parish adopts some 125 families in rural Missouri. Specific gifts are requested for members of these families and these gifts are wrapped and brought to the parish on a designated Saturday or Sunday before Christmas. These packages are then delivered to the Rural Parish Workers of Christ the King for distribution to the needy families. To volunteer or obtain more information on this project contact Nancy Adams at adams-family13@sbcglobal.net or 314/541-2771.
Nursing Home Visitors Each week, members of the parish conduct a Communion service for and pray the rosary with the residents of West County Care Center, Brookdale Senior Living, Big Bend Woods Healthcare Center and Dougherty Ferry Assisted Living. Some volunteers come to the home to assist with the Communion service; others prepare baked treats for the residents. Call Bob Vondera 636/527-8206 for further information.
The Kairos retreat is coming up in October and we need COOKIES! Each team member is asked to provide 40 DOZEN cookies. Due to the unique requirements of the prison environment, cookies MUST be made according to a few simple guidelines (for example: no fruit, no nuts, no icing, no sprinkles.) Cookies should be about 3” in size, packed in quart-sized Ziplock bags, one dozen per bag. Chocolate chip, sugar, peanut butter, chocolate or oatmeal cookies are great – other varieties are welcome, too! All cookies must be ready by Friday, October 20 for the for the Kairos Weekend. More information can be found on the parish website.