Outreach
The people of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity are committed to serving the vulnerable and those in need in response to Jesus’ commandment to love God and our neighbors as ourselves. Throughout the pandemic, the members of the parish outreach committee identified ways to assist neighbors in need, which it achieved most powerfully and concretely in the creation of St. Ann’s Pop-up Pantry that has been in operation for more than two years. The group was guided by the values reflected in this new mission statement:
The Outreach Committee of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church is dedicated to addressing the immediate needs of our neighbors and pursuing justice for all God’s people. Through a sustained focus on our Food Pantry, special collections and forums that engage critical community issues, we strive to embody the keystone of our Baptismal Covenant: to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves.
The committee has led the parish in the following programs.
St. Ann’s Pop-Up Pantry
St. Ann’s Pop-Up Pantry addresses hunger while New Yorkers continue to cope with the prolonged economic and social fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pantry is open Tuesdays from 10:30 am to 12 noon at the entrance of the church. We currently provide nutritious food to some 300 guests a week, and the need for food assistance shows no sign of slowing down!
We welcome the support of the community to keep the pantry sufficiently stocked. Guests are offered purchased and donated fresh produce and a choice of grains (pasta, rice, quinoa) and proteins (beans, canned tuna and chicken) as well as peanut butter upon request. Food may be donated through our Amazon wish list, with delivery to St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, 157 Montague St., Brooklyn, NY 11201. Contributions of non-perishable food and staples are welcome on weekdays, 9:00 am-4:00 pm at St. Ann’s parish hall, 157 Montague Street. Financial support may be offered through the Food Pantry fund. You are invited to view this video to learn more about the pantry and its volunteers, who were honored with the church’s Spirit & Service award at St. Ann’s Open Doors Gala on Thursday, October 27, 2022.
The Pop-Up Pantry was also featured in a story on the website of the Episcopal Ministries of Long Island (EMLI) and in EMLI’s year’s 2023 annual appeal, spotlighting the volunteers and staff who are the heart and soul of this important ministry.
Operation Backpack
St. Ann’s has participated in the Volunteers of America Operation Backpack program for ten years in a row! This summer, as in 2021, we did not collect and fill backpacks ourselves, but instead raised funds for a donation from St. Ann’s to the program. VOA purchases the supplies and provides full backpacks to some 18,000 school children, many living in homeless shelters, who are returning to in-person learning in September.
Toys for Joy
At holiday time, St. Ann’s participates in this annual toy drive sponsored by CAMBA for young people living in shelters and temporary homes by donating new, unwrapped toys for newborns to pre-adolescents, and new hats, scarves and gloves for older children aged 14 to 18.
Disaster Response
St. Ann’s members spring into action to respond to the needs of the victims of hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. We donated great numbers of material goods, including diapers, after Hurricane Sandy, and regularly take up special collections for organizations, such as Episcopal Relief and Development and Episcopal Migration Ministries, which provide direct service to victims of natural disasters and economic hardship or to newly arriving refugees to the U.S.