Located across the street from St. Thomas The Apostle, Beth David Synagogue invited the parish to collaborate this spring to build an interfaith community garden.  The garden, located on the grounds of the synagogue, will grow vegetables for distribution to the hungry in the community. 

Both congregations have well established food pantries and will be including these fresh foods in their daily handouts.  

The community garden is 100% supported by The Kostin Family, who started "Jessie's Community Garden" years ago.  The Social Action Committee is very excited about the project and also excited to be working with their brothers and sisters in the Jewish community on this worthwhile project.

Does your parish have a community garden, or are you thinking of starting one?  Send us your story and pictures of your progress! Happy growing! 

Riverfront Earth Day: Singing the Song of Our World 

Date: April 27, 2014
Children's Activities:  12:00 pm

Interfaith Prayer Service: 12:45 pm
Festival: 1:00- 5:00 pm  

For more information, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/riverfrontearthdayct

http://riverfrontearthdayct.org/

Thomas Awiapo made this statement in his talks with students and parishioners across the Archdiocese on March 28-30. Thomas works for Catholic Relief Services training community leaders throughout Ghana, where he lives with his wife and four children. OCSJM arranged for this CRS Speaker tour to bring his story of inspiration and gratitude to our local community.

Orphaned at an early age, Thomas struggled with poverty and hunger in his small African village until his search for 

Thomas Awiapo with Teacher Sue Pullen at St. Bernard School.

food led him to a school started by Catholic Relief Services. His education liberated him from a life of poverty. Today he speaks regularly of his gratitude for the help that CRS offered him.

We can all be proud of the work of Catholic Relief Services. As the Catholic Church's official overseas relief and development agency, CRS works in 100 countries across the world. As Thomas explained, CRS works in the poorest areas of the world, developing community based solutions. 

In Ghana, the current work is on agriculture, health, and microfinance. Strengthening agricultural systems by supplying clean water, and establishing a sustainable supply of seed for commercially viable crops, both help to improve the community's health. By offering microfinancing, the small farmers learn more about financial management and ways to invest in their farms. 

You can learn more about Thomas Awiapo and CRS in this segment produced by ORTV and shown on Crossroads.

The Annual CRS Collection will be held in all parishes of the Archdiocese of Hartford on the weekend of May 31-June 1. Remember Thomas and others like him who grow and thrive with the help of CRS - and please be generous in supporting the critical work of CRS around the world. 

As a result of the work of volunteers from St. Peter Claver Parish, support from all six West Hartford parishes, and the wonderful cooks from St. Justin's Parish in Hartford, the fifth annual CT Walks For Haiti Festival and Walk was a huge success!  The walk reached its goal to fund the projects of 5 charities working in Haiti.

Interdistrict Steel Drum Ensemble - Photo by Marc-Yves Regis

Proceeds from the event will go directly to the following charities:

• Haitian Health Foundation: Haiti is experiencing a critical food shortage, with many areas approaching famine.  HHF runs a feeding program in Jeremie for malnourished pre- and post-natal women and children. HHF will use funding to purchase supplemental food for these most vulnerable groups.  
• Haitian Humanitarian Network: Many outlying areas lack access to medical care.  HHN will use funding to hire a full time Haitian physician for their local clinic.  
• Medical Aid to Haiti: In Haiti, hospitalized patients must pay for supplies (bandages, etc.).  MATH supports a Haitian-staffed mobile clinic, and runs semi-annual U.S. medical missions.  Currently, these U.S. volunteers assume the cost of referrals, such as X-rays (MRI) and surgical evaluation and surgery.  
• Operation Unisson: OUI will use the grant to run a health education and health promotion summer program for children ages 9-13.  Expenses include school supplies, food and water, shirts, propane and diesel.  
• Outreach to Haiti: OTH will use the funding for tuition and book purchases for two very promising college students in the OTH Education Scholarship program.

CT Walks For Haiti, Inc. is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations are welcome and can be made through the web site, www.ctwalksforhaiti.org.