St. Matthew’s is collecting school supplies for Gotwals Elementary School in Norristown. Please drop off your donations to St. Matthew’s by Sunday, August 28. If you have any questions, please contact the Parish Office.
2021’s Operation Bear Hug has concluded with a total of 434 bear hugs delivered to residents in local care facilities. Recipients included patients residing at the Masonic Village at Warminster, Luther Woods, Abington-Lansdale Hospital, Fox Sub-Acute facilities in Warrington and Plymouth Meeting, and The Landing Commonwealth Senior Living. Operation Bear Hug would not be possible without the help of Lou and Mary Waters, Angela and Bruce Baldus, Jeanne and Jim Garrison, Betsy Landis, and Lisa, Tim, Erin, Sean and Jason Walsh.
Each Christmas, St. Matthew’s Maple Glen spreads Christmas comfort to residents dwelling within our local care centers, such as Fox Subacute. Steered by parishioner Lisa Walsh, Operation Bear Hug has been collecting and delivering new teddy bears to individuals for nearly two decades. We’d like YOU to help us make this year’s operation a major success by donating a bear, and spreading the word. Traditionally following the donation window, a contingent of volunteers would hand-deliver the stuffed animals to patients on Christmas Eve. However, due to COVID-19 limitations, things look a little bit different. This year, we invite you to participate in the following ways:
PARTICIPATION OPTIONS
Purchase a teddy bear of your choosing, and drop it off at Saint Matthew’s in the bins near the narthex, or,
Purchase a bear, or many bears, via our Amazon Wishlist. During check out, be sure to select the shipping address labeled: Lisa Walsh’s Gift Registry Address, or,
Print this flyer + post in your workplace, school, or community center.
We collect bears until December 15th, but donations made after that date will be used for Operation Bear Hug 2022. Questions? Reach out to Lisa Walsh via email or telephone at (215) 518-3316. Thank you for spreading the spirit of generosity and good works.
View 6abc’s Hometown Heroes segment about last year’s Operation Bear Hug, which aired on December 23, 2020.Read the full article here.
Operation Bear Hug 2020 Photo Gallery
Please help us make someone feel special and loved during the Christmas season, especially since so many are unable to be with their loved ones.
St. Matthew’s has volunteered and been selected as one of the churches in the diocese that will be a hub for collecting items to help refugees coming into our region from Afghanistan. It is a wonderful opportunity to help others who have fled horrific and life-threatening circumstances, and have come to our shores carrying nothing but prayers and hopes for a new life.
This will last through the month of September, and many thanks to Karen Sawyer, who is on the Global Mission Commision, for sharing this opportunity with us. Items can be placed under the coatrack outside the kitchen, brought to the church during office hours, or placed in the bins outside the narthex doors.
NO GLASS ITEMS, Pillows, or Tampons
Diaper Cream
Baby clothes for all baby ages
Baby logistics: diapers, wipes, bottles, baby food (no glass jars and no meat)
Spoons and new pacifiers
Towels
MEN’S CLOTHING-IMMEDIATE NEED (no shorts or tank tops)
Women’s clothing (mostly long sleeve but modest short sleeve is acceptable,
no shorts, dresses or tank tops)
Children’s clothes (long sleeves and pants)
Feminine hygiene product
Newborn hats and socks
New modest underwear for adults and kids
New socks for adults and kids
Hats for all ages (cold weather and warm)
Blankets (clean or new)
Shoes (new or clean with very little wear)
Toys (not battery operated)
Balls
Stuffed animals
Please no monetary donations i.e.: gift cards, cash, etc. — only items from the list, please.
All items can be brought to: St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church 919 Tennis Avenue Maple Glen, PA 19002
We are excited to announce that our 2021 Vacation Bible School and Middle School Summer Service Camp will be held July 6 – July 9 (from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.) There is no charge to participate.
Children (Age 4 to rising 5th graders) are encouraged to join our Rocky Railway program, which explores how Jesus can pull us through life’s ups and downs.
Additionally, we are assembling our annual Middle School Summer Service Camp! Older children (rising sixth graders through grade 9) will engage in service opportunities.
COVID-19 prevention measures and best practices will be in place during both programs.
Now through the end of February, St. Matthew’s is gathering new clothing for children ages infant through age 12 to be sent to St. Timothy’s Episcopal Outreach Center in Kentucky for distribution in this impoverished Appalachian area. This year, we will be sharing the collection with Cradles to Crayons, a local charity that provides for local impoverished children.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Purchase brand-new clothing and drop it off in the boxes by the kitchen, or outside St. Matthew’s (919 Tennis Ave, Maple Glen) in the plastic bins at the lower parking lot entrance to the Narthex.
Purchase brand-new clothing via an online retailer or Amazon (see our Wish List for options) and send it to Tim Walsh. His home address is 126 Morning Walk Dr., Warrington PA 18976.
Make a donation through our online giving page by choosing “Layette Offering” from the dropdown menu (or click on the button below), and we will purchase clothing for you!
We will be collecting until February 28.
Questions? Reach out to Tim Walsh via email or contact the Parish Office at 215-646-4092.
Many of you are familiar with Mwamba, as St. Matthew’s has partnered with them for many years to provide secondary school scholarships to children in Kenya. The Bishop of the… Read more: Mwamba Foundation Visit
We will once again be partnering with St. John’s Church to provide school supplies in support of the students at Davenport Elementary School (formerly Gotwals) in Norristown. Please bring in… Read more: School Supply Drive 2024
Through Labor Day weekend, we will be collecting funds to support rescue and rebuilding efforts on the island of Maui following their devastating wildfires. You may place donations in the… Read more: Hawaii Wildfire Relief
Every year Saint Matthew’s is especially generous in contributing to the Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard Food Drive for Thanksgiving meals for the needy. This year will be a little different than other years. If you attend church services you may place food contributions in the bins under the coat rack. For those who wish to contribute to the Thanksgiving food drive but are not comfortable attending services yet, there will be bins located outside the church doors of the lower parking lot.
Below is the wish list to provide meals for those less fortunate.
What’s Needed: Stuffing Instant mashed potatoes Canned or jars of turkey gravy Canned cranberry sauce Canned green beans Cream of mushroom soup Canned corn Canned sweet potatoes or yams French fried onions Ground coffee/regular tea bags
Drop Off: Inside – Bins near coat racks Outside – Bins near lower parking lot entrance to Narthex
Please consider participating in these two opportunities for giving this Lent.
In response to Bishop Gutierrez’s call to celebrate 5 sacred days, St. Matthew’s is joining several other deanery members at Church of the Advent in Hatboro for a “Day of Feeding” event. The event will consist of collecting certain food items and then building H.A.T. (helping around town) packs on April 19th .
H.A.T. Packs is a ministry serving food insecure school-age children and younger siblings. It was founded by 3 local women in response to reports that some children in our school district who enrolled in the subsided or free lunch program were saving some of Friday’s food for consumption on the weekend. This gave rise to the question, “What happens to these vulnerable children on weekends?”
In January 2018, H.A.T. packs began providing a bag of food with 2 days of breakfast, lunch and snack items to food-insecure children at one elementary school in the district. Over the past 2 years, the program has grown to provide weekend food packs to over 250 children in all schools within the Hatboro Horsham school district. A summer meal program has also been added.
Please consider donating any of the following items: Single service cereal Boxes, Juice boxes, oatmeal packets, single-serve shelf-stable milk, microwave meal kits, tuna or chicken salad kits, chef Boyardee pasta meals, Kraft Easy Mac packets, Chicken noodle cup of soup, Beef stew, snack cracker packs, fruit or applesauce cups, pudding snack packs, snack-size pretzels.
To download a flyer with details and a complete list of needed items, please click here.
In conjunction with our participation in the Day of Feeding noted above, this year we would like to collect food items that will be placed in the H.A.T. packs assembled on April 19. We ask that you fill bags that you have available to you (paper, plastic, etc.). The bags must be returned by Easter Sunday, April 12, or any week prior. Please note that the H.A.T. packs require specific food items.
The organization, Concerned Parents Inc., that we have worked with for many years for Lenten grocery bags is no longer able to accept food donations, BUT they DO still need gift cards to the stores where their families shop. If you would like to continue to support this ministry, gift cards from Aldi, or ShopRite are needed. Please drop them in the offering basket or church office.
The final day for both of these collections is April 12th . If you want to help build H.A.T. Packs at Church of the Advent, Hatboro on Sunday April 19th 1-3PM, please contact Tim Walsh, 215-380-1749 or tmwmstr@comcast.net
UPDATE: Due to COVID-19 concerns, the “Day of Feeding” event with H.A.T. Packs scheduled for April 19th has been canceled. Any donated food will be provided to them for immediate usage.
During the month of February, St. Matthew’s is gathering new clothing for children ages infant through 6 to be sent to St. Timothy’s Episcopal Outreach Center in Kentucky for distribution in this impoverished Appalachian area.
This outreach project happens to coincide this year with a Diocesan initiative to increase collaboration between churches while spreading the Gospel and addressing issues of poverty.
The deadline for donations is Saturday, February 29th. Donations may be placed in the marked bins provided outside the Parish Hall. If you are not able to bring clothing this Sunday, the 23rd, but would still like to donate, any items may be dropped off at the church office from Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
All Hallows Wyncote will be joining us Saturday, February 29 @ 10:00 a.m. to sort and box the clothing for shipment to Saint Timothy’s. Clothing may be brought to St. Matthew’s at that time as well.
Thank you for prayerfully considering a donation to this important ministry.
