September 14 - Sign Up Sunday

        Backpacks of Love is a ministry serving children and their families who are homeless or otherwise in severe need.  Suburban poverty is growing faster in metropolitan Atlanta than it is anywhere else in the country.  Backpacks of Love ministry is vital to helping children not go hungry during the weekend when there is no school meal service available to them.  The ministry is supported by several churches in our area and now serves over 100 families in North Fulton, Forsyth, and Cherokee counties. 
       Your help is needed now more than ever.  This Sunday, you will hear more about this community ministry and have the opportunity to sign up to participate.  Volunteers can sign up to buy food once a month, twice a month, or as a fill-in substitute.  How often you serve is entirely up to you.  In addition to donating food, volunteers are also needed to gather the backpacks from St. Columba and deliver them to the distribution center. 
       Sign up this Sunday at church.  Your help will keep at least one family from being hungry for a weekend.  If you have any questions, contact Ron Kraynick (email link).

If you are in the 3rd through 12th grade and are currently an acolyte or if you would like to become an acolyte, please join us on September 21 at 12:30pm for a meeting and short lunch.  If you haven't already done so, RSVP via the sign-up genius link (click here).  We need more acolytes to fully fill our rota, especially at the 11:15 Mass.  So now is a great time to get involved and serve!  For more information, contact Kristi Parkinson (click here).

     We had a significant drop in food collected for the month of August, with only 148 pounds being delivered to The Place of Forsyth County.  Hopefully everybody has seen at least highlights from the Hunger In America 2014 study (www.feedingamerica.org).  Various agencies, including the two St. Columba's supports, serve 46.5M people in the U.S., 1 out of every 7 people!  This includes 12M children and 7M seniors.  The demographics are wide-ranging and include many who are simply struggling to get by on a monthly basis - 93% live in a permanent residence, 41% have at least one household member with post-HS education, and 20% of households include at least one military veteran.  Their struggles, however, force them to make choices - 69% had to choose between food and utilities and 66% have had to choose between food and medical care.  There is a great need both in the local Forsyth County and the greater Atlanta areas.  Please do what you can to help those in need.  We will be providing September's donations to The Place of Forsyth County, collecting food each week leading up to the 3rd Sunday of the month (September 21st - Breakfast Sunday) which is the official collection day for the month.  Biggest needs are canned soups and vegetables, peanut butter, and anything that can be stored for a long period of time.  Donations can be placed in the tubs located next to the welcome table in the narthex.  Thanks in advance for your help!