Good Afternoon Friends - 

August was a busy month for all our Food Ministry Programs; breakfast, supper and the vegetable garden.

THANK YOU for volunteering, for putting your faith into action, to help in our programs to feed our friends and neighbors in need.

Now more than ever our help is needed to care for those in need.

• Because of recently passed federal legislation, the 176,000 Mainers, who are helped by SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, including children, older adults, people with disabilities, veterans, and working families, will find it harder to access the food assistance they need. Food pantries throughout the state are already reporting increased demand for their services.
• In addition, cuts to Medicaid (MaineCare) will drastically affect medical coverage to nearly 400,000 Mainers, including 38,000 people with disabilities.

Our interfaith volunteer efforts can, and do, make a difference in our lives and the lives of our friends and neighbors in need. THANK YOU for caring. 

3rd Saturday Breakfast for the Unhoused:

• We served our usual nutritious breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, fresh fruit, and homemade baked goods to 74 guests at our August 16th breakfast.
• In addition, we made 110 sandwiches for guests to take with them, and also provided them with many bottles of water to help them stay hydrated in the hot weather.
• Not only do we share food with our guests, we welcome them into a caring community, share stories and in small ways, help with some of their personal and medical needs.
• Our next breakfast will be on Saturday September 20th.

5th Saturday Angel Food Supper:

• We served 164 delicious suppers of chicken pie, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad and dessert to our guests at the August 30th supper.
• Most of the potatoes and all of the ingredients in the salad came from our parish garden in Winthrop.
• In the words of our friend Sue Gayne, member of the South Parish Congregational Church and the Angel Food Network:

• Our next supper will be on Saturday November 29th.

The supper was a wonderful, welcoming community event. A chance to get to know our neighbors and each other.

We opened the doors early and invited our guests in for a cup of coffee or iced tea before the meal was served.

The salad, vegetable and cranberry sauce team - (l to r) Jane, Elizabeth, Courtney and Deanna.

Ray is in the background working on clean-up.

Parish Garden:

• Despite the drought, and battles with a few pests, it has been a very productive season.
• To-date we have harvested 796 lbs. of vegetables from the garden.
• The seven families who are participating in the "Plant a Row for the Hungry" program in their home gardens have donated an additional 265 lbs. of vegetables.
• We've donated this combined 1,061 lbs. to the Augusta, Gardiner, Hallowell and Winthrop Food Pantries and the Angel Food Supper.

A very happy team - Sue O, Cassie, Lisa D, Duane, Eli, Emily, Dolores, Frank and Sue M - enjoying 

a beautiful morning in the garden.

18 different kinds of vegetables - green and growing. We've still got tomatoes, peppers, acorn

and butternut squash on the vine; and just within the last few weeks we sowed seeds for our

fall crops of radishes, Swiss chard, turnips and spinach. So, harvesting will continue for several

more weeks.

 The Season of Creation:

• The Season of Creation began on September 1st (the World Day of Prayer) and it ends on October 4th (the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi).
  • The theme this year is "Peace With Creation."
  • We join our ecumenical brothers and sisters in renewing our relationship with our Creator and all creation.
• I hope the few lines below from a prayer for creation will help us all find peace this season.

God, you are present in the whole

universe and in the smallest of your creatures.

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love that we may

protect life and beauty.

Fill us with peace that we may live as brothers and

sisters harming no one.

God of the poor help us rescue the abandoned and

forsaken on this earth so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives that we may protect the

world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty not

pollution and destruction.

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice,

love and peace.

THANK YOU again everyone!!

Frank Cuff