Outreach

One of the largest items in our Outreach budget is the South Florida Haiti Project.  This is a diocesan-wide program to aid and support the community of Bondeau, Haiti, located on the southern peninsula of the island.  Two of our Outreach Committee members, Teresa Grashof and Katharine Murray, serve on the Board of SFHP, and Teresa is the Vice Chair of the organization. 

But the SFHP encompasses much more than food-packing!  The project pays the salaries of the teachers and staff who support the 450 students in the schools.  Over the years the project has built school buildings and a guest house; helped to develop a source of potable water; provided medical care; and in cooperation with Food for the Poor, helped to develop a local industry.

The current instability in the country due to gangs controlling most of the capital city of Port-au-Prince has drastically affected life for everyone in Haiti.  Travel is virtually impossible.  Supplies – including food and medicines – are often unavailable, and when they can be obtained the cost is astronomical.  Families are divided: this past summer the community of Boneau created a summer camp for the 100 children sent to Bondeau for safety by families in Port-au-Prince.  Many of these children have stayed in Bondeau, and the schools now have 100 more students than planned who must be housed, educated and fed. 

The SFHP continues to provide funding and offer support.  And we ask for your continuing heartfelt prayers. 

Our Outreach & Mission Committee partners with many other organizations to aid those in need both in our own community and abroad.  

Several times each year, Good Shepherd Church and school partner with CROS ministries to glean produce from local fields.  Depending on the season, volunteers pick corn, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers  and mangoes – or dig for potatoes!  The season usually begins in late autumn and runs through May.  Our Good Shepherd Food Pantry benefits from this ministry, and the produce provided is gratefully received  by our many guests.  Gleaning opportunities are always advertised in advance and there is a sign-up sheet in the Narthex; all are welcome!!  

Good Shepherd has gleaning events where a group may go together, or you are always welcome to glean as an individual. CROS Ministries provides an information packet. 

This annual Thanksgiving morning road race benefits our Good Shepherd Food Pantry.  Sponsored by Palm Beach Roadrunners, the 2,000 or more participants pick up their packets in our Parish Hall in the days before the race, and all are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for our Pantry.  

On Thanksgiving morning, they gather in front of the church and receive a blessing before striking out on their 4-mile run.  There is also a Little Pilgrim Dash for children age 7 and under, which takes place on Seabrook Road right in front of the church.  Volunteers are always needed to help with food collection, water distribution, handing out medals and pies, and many other functions.   We definitely ‘have a place for you’ here!

The Edna Runner Center provides after-school and summer tutoring and support for students and families in the West Jupiter community.  Good Shepherd has had a long-standing relationship with the Edna Runner Center.  Many of our church members volunteer as tutors at the Center.  Good Shepherd also serves as the supporting church, enabling the Edna Runner Center to apply for grants from Episcopal Charities.  The Center would welcome additional volunteers!

Every year, Good Shepherd Knitters knit scarves and hats for the men and women mariners who crew commercial vessels that sail in and out of Port Everglades and the Port of Palm Beach.  One Sunday every autumn, these items are assembled on our altar where they are blessed before being delivered to a representative of the Seafarers.  The items are most appreciated as these mariners sail the winter seas.  Helping hands are always welcome in this ministry!

The members of this ministry team prayerfully knit or crochet shawls and lap robes for those who are ill, home-bound, or experiencing particularly difficult times.  Knitted garments are brought to the church to be blessed before they are distributed.  The act of knitting a prayer shawl not only benefits the receiver, but the person knitting is also blessed through the generous giving of time and talent.  There’s love in every stitch!  

This is a local charity, founded right here in Jupiter, which has done wonders in providing a sound education for mostly rural children in Guatemala who would not otherwise have any hope for their future.  Through the generosity of many supporters throughout the U.S., children are offered a boarding school education where both boys and girls learn everything from basic academics and computer skills to how to build their own desks and bunks!  

There is a heavy emphasis on training for the hospitality industry, and the school’s graduates are highly sought after and are virtually guaranteed gainful employment in local tourist establishments, thus helping not only themselves but also their families and their local communities.  Our Outreach Committee regularly sponsors several children each year, and we heartily encourage others to do the same.

The Outreach committee makes an annual financial contribution to the work of this wonderful charity in West Palm Beach.  The Lord’s Place takes a comprehensive approach to ending homelessness, offering not just housing but also health care, education, and job training for persons and families in need.  Their facilities include Joshua’s Café, and they operate their own catering service.  Many volunteer opportunities are available for those who would like to become more involved in their work.

This shelter for girls in Honduras was started by our former Bishop Leo Frade and his wife, Dr. Diane Frade.  They provide long-term shelter and a vigorous education program for homeless and abandoned girls in Honduras.  

Our Outreach Committee make an annual financial contribution to this program, and individual sponsorships are always available for anyone who feels called to support a child in need.  Many of their graduates have gone on to have responsible careers in medicine, hospitality, industry and many other fields.

While Good Shepherd does not have a financial relationship with this wonderful ministry in Jupiter, we do support them in other ways by occasionally sharing food donations, employing their workers when extra hands are needed, and helping with special projects.  El Sol  provides daily meals for those who gather seeking work, and helpers are always needed in the kitchen.  For those who would like to become more involved, volunteers are also needed in many other fields, from teaching English and developing craft skills to offering counseling and legal assistance.