St. Mary of Sorrows Parish Outreach Ministry – Volunteer Opportunities 2024-25

• Clothing Drive – Help collect and deliver clean, gently used clothing & coats of all sizes to the House of Mercy in Manassas, VA. This can be done any time of the year. See their website for more info – https://houseofmercyva.org/
• Easter Baskets – Help collect candy and prepare Easter Baskets for children in need. This is done one Saturday or Sunday before Easter and is facilitated by the Boy Scouts. They make 400+ baskets each year! Contact Michelle Huber – michelleh@stmaryofsorrows.org or Christina Benedi – christinab@stmaryofsorrow.org for more info.
• The Gabriel Project – Help with set-up, serving, and clean-up for the annual Baby Shower for moms & families in need held at St. Mary’s. Or, organize a collection of diapers & baby items. Contact Martha Mellor – smosgabrielproject@gmail.com for more info.
• FACETS Hot Meals – Help prepare an evening meal once per month at Fairfax Presbyterian Church with other St. Mary’s volunteers that will be delivered to those in need in our area. Contact Barbara Mahiques – mahiq@verizon.net or Janet Pedneau – janet.pedneau@gmail.com for more info.
• Fairfax F.I.S.H. (For Immediate Sympathetic Help) – Fairfax clothing closet – 703-620-0161. Volunteers take phone calls one Monday a month from Fairfax social workers, requesting rent, utility, prescriptions, gasoline and food. We provide all the training and clients are well screened by the county, and volunteers can work from their own home. One volunteer covers the morning calls and another the afternoon calls. We also have drivers who deliver the food to clients, again on one Monday a month (usually only 1-2 deliveries). Parish contact: Christina Benedi, christinab@stmaryofsorrows.org
• Food for Others – See the Food for Others group page for more information.
• Food Pantry – Help with monthly distribution of reusable pantry bags after Masses and/or with sorting food during monthly parish food collection. Contact Eileen Piwowar – eileenpiwowar1@gmail.com or 703-851-9353 for more info.
• House of Mercy – Help collect and/or deliver toys for House of Mercy’s Christmas with Mercy program. These are collected at St. Mary’s and delivered to House of Mercy in Manassas in early December. Contact Christina Benedi – christinab@stmaryofsorrow.org for more info.
• Hypothermia Prevention Program – January 2025, St. Mary’s will support St. John Neumann Parish – Reston, Virginia, in serving those who are homeless by helping to provide meals and volunteer hours during the program week. The Sign-Up Genius link will be posted to our website and Flocknote when it becomes available. St. Mary’s parishioners can also volunteer with FACETS organization in Fairfax to drive during the 2025 program season. For more info and to sign-up as a driver, please contact Suzanne Hough – shough@facetscares.org.
• K of C Lenten Fish Fry Suppers – Help set-up, prepare, serve, and clean-up during these weekly Parish Lenten Fellowship Suppers at St. Mary’s. Contact Gordon Goetz – grandknight@kofc8600.org for more info.
• The Lamb Center – Bring a hot protein breakfast, such as breakfast casseroles, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, for those who are homeless. Please bring enough for 40-50 people. 8am-9am on the third Saturday of the month. Serving the food is not required but is greatly appreciated! Contact Eileen Piwowar – eileenpiwowar1@gmail.com or 703-851-9353 for more info & to get the Sign-Up Genius link for available dates.
• The St. Lucy Project – Organize and conduct a collection of non-perishable food, or household cleaning items, like laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent, Lysol, etc., or personal hygiene items, such as soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, shampoo, conditioner, combs, lotion, tissues, lip balm, etc. for those in need. Deliver these to The St. Lucy Project in Manassas. Contact Lori Sikra – Sikra@ccda.net for more info.
• Martha’s Table Food Ministry – Make sandwiches at home and bring to St. Mary’s for monthly delivery to Martha’s Table in Washington, DC. Contact Michelle Gilles – mgilles866@gmail.com for more info. Signup: https://tinyurl.com/MTSandwiches. Volunteers also needed as part of the St Mary’s team on the 4th Sunday of each month, 4-7:30 PM (an adult driver, and two volunteers, high school or adult) to distribute food at two locations in DC. Contact Bill Seiler, pbseiler@verizon.net
  
• So Others Might Eat (SOME) – Travel with other St. Mary’s volunteers to SOME in Washington, DC to make breakfast for those in need. (Soon to resume) Contact Jeff Kramer – kramerjeff368@gmail.com for more info.
• St Mary’s Church – Help decorate the church for Christmas and/or Easter. Contact Sr. Juby (srjuby@stmaryofsorrows.org) for more info.
• St Mary’s Historic Church – Help clean-up the cemetery on the grounds of the Historic Church. Contact Kathy Coleman – kathyc@stmaryofsorrow.org for more info..