St. Michael's parishioners support local community outreach through volunteer activities, fundraising, and gifts in kind. We also donate to a monthly basket collection, through which we give warm clothes, blankets, toiletries, food items, school supplies and books. The following local groups represent the major programs with which St. Michael's works. For more information, please contact Caroline Haynes at outreachcontact@stmichaelsarlington.org. Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) The economic downturn has generated a huge increase in demand for food assistance from AFAC. Thanks to the ongoing generosity of St. Michael's parishioners, through the basket collection we were able to make numerous contributions to AFAC this past year in excess of 1000 pounds of food, in addition to monetary contributions to purchase fresh food and milk.
Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) APAH builds and owns rental housing that is affordable to Arlington's low wage earners. St. Michael's has supported an important donor program for APAH's school age children, by providing new backpacks filled with school supplies. APAH also welcomes volunteers — teens and adults — to contribute a meal for an evening workshop or to help with evening programs including child care. Arlington Street People's Alliance Network (A-SPAN) For many years St. Michael's volunteers have prepared homeless bagged meals for A-SPAN on the second Sunday each month. Our bagged meals (now up to 80 each month) are distributed to the homeless in Arlington. We also volunteer to staff the Winter shelter during mealtime one evening a month from November through March. In addition, through our basket offerings we donate clothing and toiletries for distribution to the homeless.
Arlington Interfaith Council (AIC) AIC consists of representatives from 48 Arlington faith communities and 18 Helping Hands Agencies that provide direct services to people in need. Contributions from member congregations provide grants to help the homeless, feed the hungry, assist ex-offenders and victims of domestic violence, and put supplies in the backpacks of homeless children. Doorways for Women and Families St. Michael's parishioners are long-time financial supporters of Doorways (formerly TACTS), the emergency shelter and safe house for women and families. We also provide assistance through basket collections of food, household items, and gift cards for purchasing back-to-school supplies. Meals on Wheels St. Michael's long-time commitment to the Meals on Wheels program continues. Our volunteers deliver meals to the home-bound three times a month. Additional volunteers are always needed and appreciated.
The Reading Connection Working closely with Doorways and other shelters in northern Virginia, The Reading Connection runs programs for volunteers from St. Michael's to read to children at the Doorways shelter. We also conduct an annual basket collection of books that can be given to the children. Rebuilding Together Formerly called Christmas in April, Rebuilding Together keeps dozens of St. Michaelites busy with refurbishing a home for a low income family or individual in our community on the last Saturday in April each year. In the past year St. Michael's volunteers provided the funds and people-power needed to refurbish a nearby house and its yard. Salvation Army Angel Tree Each December we fill Christmas stockings for the Salvation Army to distribute to needy children. Through the Angel Trees, more than 80 disadvantaged children received clothes and toys. Our Youth Group spends a Saturday morning helping to organize the mountain of gifts that are donated from across Arlington.
Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy St. Michael’s supports the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy and its Virginia Interfaith Power and Light program, which is dedicated to Care of Creation through clean energy.
