Annually, over 30 funded community outreach programs provide services to those in need, regardless of faith or church affiliation. The Blair and Agnes Smith Charity Fund, established by Robert Blair and Agnes Berge Smith provides support for youth, their families and elderly persons who need food, clothing, shelter or healthcare. The Diocesan Human Needs Outreach Fund shares in this ministry. These two funds together, known as the Basic Human Needs Fund, contribute over $300,000 annually. Each year over 170,000 people are served by over 800 individuals. Services are provided regardless of religious affiliation and available to all in need.
Because of the huge need among working poor families, children, elderly and the homeless, many of our funded programs have a feeding component. St. George's Community Center in Riviera Beach feeds over 125 persons daily, driven by a 100 person volunteer force from interdenominational churches and synagogues in northern Palm Beach County. Christ Church in Coconut Grove provides bags of groceries to shut-in elderly in the Miami area. Breakfast is served to over 100 homeless persons by Trinity Cathedral in Miami.
Two multi-service homeless centers in Broward County, affiliated with the Episcopal Church receive funding from Episcopal Charities to support the many needs of the homeless population in that area. In Key West, the food panty of a full-service homeless center receives key financial and leadership support from St. Paul's Church.
Youth in transition from the Foster Care System are given housing and support by one Episcopal Charities funded programs—Casa Valentina. St. Philip's, Coral Gables is instrumental in the success of this program. St. Margaret's, Miami Lakes and St. Paul's, Delray Beach have started after school centers for needy neighborhood children. And, enrichment day programs for the elderly are providing much needed socialization for isolated seniors at St. Patrick's, West Palm Beach and St. Matthew's, Delray Beach.
Other funded programs include Family Promise, an interdenominational effort in South Palm Beach County to keep homeless families intact, by providing food and shelter while working with social workers to find employment, housing and medial care. St. Gregory's,
Boca Raton has been a catalyst in this effort. St. Stephen's, Coconut Grove supports an AIDS ministry and seed money has been awarded to the diocese for a start-up Prison Ministry in Southeast Florida.
Through a bequest from Marcelle Littell, the Littell Fund provides financial aid to those seniors in need of living care. The Bishop Gray Inns Foundation provides the guidelines and standards for distribution of Littell Fund scholarships. Since 2000, over $550,000 has been awarded to needy seniors from parishes throughout the diocese.
Hurricanes and other disasters continue to plague Southeast Florida. Through the Disaster Relief Fund, Episcopal Charities provides funding to families who are unable to financially recover and require help with basic needs as food, clothing, shelter and medical care. It also allows struggling parishes pay for basic repairs not covered by insurance. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, financial and volunteer support were sent to the disaster areas from the diocese.
> Download the Disaster Relief Application
Episcopal Charities supports US and foreign mission work of the Bishop of the Diocese by coordinating the collection and distribution of funds received from parishes and interested individuals for work in the field.
All of these goals are achieved through working together. |
