This fall is flying by! We had a great turnout for our Fall Service Day earlier this month. Now preparations are under way for our Thanksgiving Baskets and Advent Giving Tree. We are also continuing to serve the hungry in our community through our food bank and backpack programs. And we are seeing large numbers of requests for rental and utility assistance. As the weather turns colder, we like to do all we can to prevent evictions. Thank you for your continued support of these life-saving programs. Saint Hedwig, pray for us!

Food Bank

Neighbors served - 342

Households served - 127

Backpack Program

Students served - 342

Support our backpack program this month by purchasing bags from Fred Meyer (near the checkout stand). The food in these bags will go to students in the Puyallup School District to fill the weekend hunger gap.

Diapers

Support from PREPARES allows us to offer diapers and wipes to our food bank guests each month. In September, we gave out 8 packs of diapers and 8 packs of wipes. If you wish to help by purchasing diapers, size 5 and 6 are the most popular sizes. Thank you!

Rent assistance - 12 families

Utilities assistance - 6 families

Each summer we partner with the Puyallup School District to distribute the Children's Emergency Fund to help district families with rent assistance. This past summer we helped 33 families with rent or utility assistance.

Thank you to the Milgard Windows of Hope Foundation for a $7,500 grant for our Homelessness Prevention program. This help is greatly needed in our community.

"The gentle queen was loved more for her kindness to those who were poor than for her political undertakings. She founded a hospital for lepers. The doors of her castle were open to travelers and to those who were homeless, sick, and dying. Hedwig went to the cottages of those who were poor, visiting and serving them. Late at night she would darn their clothes. Early in the morning, Hedwig would pray for the kingdom."

Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who helped with projects during our Fall Service Day. We prepared the parish garden for winter, spruced up the ELC playground, and did some deep cleaning in the parish center and school cafeteria.

On November 19, our church will joyfully welcome those who are preparing for their initiation into the Christian faith by Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist through the Rite of Acceptance. We also will greet those who are already Baptized and wish to receive Confirmation and Eucharist or receive full communion of the Catholic Church through the Rite of Welcome.

We invite our whole community to participate in the formation of these 62 (!) individuals through prayer, relationship as a sponsor, or being a welcoming presence at Mass. During the next period of preparation, our catechumens will be dismissed after the Liturgy of the Word to break open the Word. To assist in this process, we would like to gift them with Bibles with personalized nameplates provided by you! Look for a special giving tree in the vestibule which will allow you to participate in this process.

We will be distributing Thanksgiving Baskets of food to our food bank guests on November 18. We try to include canned vegetables, instant mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, a frozen turkey, and pie in each box. We will be collecting donations through November to help with the cost of the turkeys and pies.

Thank you for helping us make Thanksgiving special for our food bank families. You can drop donations in the collection marked "Thanksgiving." Or donate online. Simply select "Thanksgiving" from the drop down menu under "Fund."

Violent conflict in the Holy Land has escalated dramatically. More than 1,800 people have been killed and even more have been wounded. The United Nations has reported that in Gaza, more than 300,000 internally displaced people are sheltering in U.N. schools, public places and with family members. These numbers are expected to increase as hostilities continue. CRS has activated coordination in the region among 13 partners trained in emergency preparedness and response. Please visit www.crs.org to see how you can help!

Email: morningstars@allsaintsparish.com
Website: https://allsaintsparish.com/outreach
Location: 204 6th Ave SW, Puyallup, WA, USA
Phone: 253-848-2000