During Advent, we make an extra effort to help make the Holidays a time filled with hope and joy for people in need. A ‘Giving Tree’ is placed in the Sanctuary during the week of Thanksgiving, and gifts are delivered to the Parish Hall several days before Christmas, where volunteers sort and bag the items.
Christmas 2017 our parish supplied gifts and food certificates to 38 families, mainly at St. Mary’s Center in Oakland. The remaining toys were distributed to both Catholic Charities of the East Bay and Elizabeth House. We sent a donation of $1000 to the Mercy Center Brown Bag Program, which distributes food to seniors throughout Alameda County. Catholic Charities received a donation of $500 to assist with their programs serving the needy. We gave the extra Target gift certificates to our own St. Vincent de Paul Conference, who will use them for both food and clothing needs for their clients. A final check of $240 was sent to St. Mary’s Center to help with their daily program serving seniors in Oakland. All the charities were extremely grateful for the generosity of our parish.
