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Social: Facebook | Email: McKee@cdlex.org | Phone: (606) 287-7601
Outreach at St. Paul includes…
The Attic – The Attic is our thrift store. It not only offers jobs and job training (in partnership with Goodwill’s SCSEP program) to members of our community but also provides a place for many families to shop for clothing, furniture, toys, and home goods at very affordable prices. Proceeds from The Attic help pay for our Mission’s expenses and fund our other outreach programs. We are also able to use items donated to The Attic to help families in need. We’ve helped furnish homes, provided beds, and clothing to families in need thanks to donations available at The Attic. If you or someone you know is in need of help via a voucher to shop at The Attic, please call the office (606-287-7601) to get more information and set up an appointment to apply for aid. Aid is only available to those who live in Jackson County, KY.
Financial Assistance – Thanks to proceeds from The Attic and generous financial donations from our friends and benefactors, we’re able to offer aid to families and individuals in need in Jackson County. We have helped with unexpected one time expenses, utility bills, and other needs. There is an application process and we do not give money out to individuals. Our goal is to offer a hand up to persons who are struggling due to circumstances beyond their control. Be it from an unexpected emergency expense, losing their job or having to take long term unpaid leave due to an injury or illness, etc. We’ve also helped families who’ve had to move suddenly due to unsafe or unhealthy circumstances.
Back to School Bash – Every year, prior to the first day of school, we hold a Back to School Bash. Any TEACHER that teaches in Jackson County (public, private, or home) is eligible. We offer classroom supplies like boxes of tissues, hand sanitizer, cleaning wipes, card stock, etc.; office supplies like markers, ink pens, staples, etc.; and school supplies like notebooks, crayons, paints, markers, glue sticks, pencils, etc. to help stock each classroom. In 2023 we were blessed to serve 63 teachers who serve over 700 students combined.
Thanksgiving – In the past we’ve been able to share a Thanksgiving meal with the senior citizens, homebound, and shut ins of Jackson County. Due to several factors, including an increase in other groups/organizations in the county offering the same service and what seems to be a decrease in need, we aren’t sure if we’ll be continuing this outreach. We’ll update as soon as a decision has been made.
Nativity Play and Santa Party – Every year we host a Santa Party that requires NO sign up and is open to the public. We start with a reading of the Nativity story as the members of our parish act it out. Then, Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive to visit with the children. Every child, aged 0-12, in attendance has the opportunity to visit and get their picture with Santa and Mrs. Claus. The Clauses also give out a small gift bag full of age appropriate gifts, goodies, and toys to each child. Once the children have visited with Santa, anyone else who wishes to get their picture with him can.
Christmas Forward – Our Christmas Forward program focuses on not only helping families provide a happy Christmas for their children but also on building up stronger families and communities by requiring them to “pay it forward” in advance. We start accepting sign-ups in August and continue accepting them through October. Our program fees vary from being totally free to $5 per child, depending on the family’s financial situation. This enables families who might make a little too much to qualify for aid like SNAP but still struggle to make ends meet to also get help. Each child receives a minimum of 3 brand new toys/gifts. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are usually able to offer the children in our program much more; including, new coats, blankets, undergarments, games, more toys, toiletries, school supplies, books, and even bikes. Each family also receives a voucher to our local grocery store that’s good through the end of the year. You might be wondering about the “pay it forward” aspect… We require each family that signs up for Christmas Forward to complete 35 hours of community service prior to the day of the program. This is not limited to traditional community service projects (volunteering at the food bank, their church, etc.) but also includes things like; G.E.D. classes, parenting classes, counselling (individual or family), therapy (speech, occupational, and physical), volunteering in their child’s class or school, participation with 4H, enrichment classes offered by the Extension office, vo-tech/job skills and training, any continuing education/training for their job, and attending family enrichment activities offered in the community. We believe that services, classes, and programs that help build up families also build up our community. They are not required to volunteer for or at St. Paul’s. The general requirement is that the parents or guardians who signed up for the program are the ones who must complete the service hours but in cases where that’s a hardship, we will work with them to find someone (a friend or grandparent) who is willing to complete the service hours on their behalf. Often families will find they are already doing many things that would count towards their hours. Families are assigned an appointment to come shop and we have volunteers who work very hard in the days leading up to our program to set everything up and then, on the day of, to help the parents/guardians shop for their child(ren).
Vacation Bible School – In the past, in partnership with a service group, we’ve offered a summer VBS. It was open to any children/youth in Jackson County and has been a huge success. We’ve been unable to offer it the last two summers but look forward to hopefully being able to offer it or something similar in the future.
Service Outreach – We currently host two service groups each year. We line up service projects in the community that fit their skill sets. We are always happy to host more groups – for a day, a weekend, a week, or even longer. Families, Youth/Young Adult Groups, and Schools are all welcome to come down and lend a hand. There is plenty of work to be done in Jackson County for all ages and abilities; and plenty of people to be served. If you are interested in serving as Christ’s hands and feet to the people of Jackson County, Ky please give us a call at 606-287-7601 or email us. We’d love to have you join us!
We are working to provide more outreach opportunities to our community. Check back here for updates!