Serve Others

The St. Monica Lenten FILL Project:

FILL a need, FILL a bag, FILL your heart.

Each Lent, Catholics are called to pray, to sacrifice and to give. Giving materially to another is an act of Christian charity known as “almsgiving.”

We are joining together this Lent to help support the All Saints and Blessed Trinity/St. Catherine’s food pantries and meal program.

The needs in our community are great, and have only grown during tough economic times. In the city of Milwaukee, one out of every three residents, and half of all children, are living in poverty. Both food pantries we are supporting have seen significantly increased demand over the past year, and are forecasting even more in 2012.

Each Person in Your Family Can be a Critical Part of our Lenten FILL Project:

• Fill out the Solidarity Pledge. Use it to help open your mind and heart to issues of hunger and food insecurity. Use it to guide your sacrifice and almsgiving. Challenge yourself.
• Sacrifice: Give up something each day (soda, coffee, meat, dessert, etc.) and fill the container you receive after masses February 25/26 or March 3/4 with the money you would have spent. Put it in a central spot to remind yourself.
• Give nutritious non-perishable food items. Fill at least one bag during Lent. Better yet, bring a bag of groceries each week or donate one bag per family member. (see below for nutritious food ideas)
• Kids Too: Donate part of your allowance or job money. Offer to do an out-of-the-ordinary job or chore and gently suggest a donation. Click here for almsgiving ideas for kids. 
• Pray for those who need food pantries and meal programs, hungry and homeless people everywhere, and those that serve and help them. Pray to be more open to God and the needs of others.
• Share your money and food each week during Lent. Fill the wishing well near the altar with your money. Fill the grocery carts at both main entrances with your bags full of donated groceries. Please make sure all donations are brought to church by the weekend after Easter (April 15th).
• Volunteer. Ideas for how to share your time are listed below.

Our Goal: 1,264 bags of non-perishable food (that’s just one bag per parish household) and well over the $7,000 donated during last year’s project.

Donated food will fill food pantry shelves and be given to those in need. Donated money will be used to purchase additional food, including perishable foods like meat, fruits and vegetables and bread (bought through Feeding America at 19 cents/pound), as well as supplies and equipment to keep these critical hunger programs serving their growing numbers.

Special Thanks to Balistreri Owned and Operated Sendik’s Food Markets for their generous donation of grocery bags and the use of several grocery carts during Lent. 

Questions? Contact Nikki DeGuire at 963-9023 or nsdeguire@gmail.com

**ABOUT THE FOOD PANTRIES

**SUGGESTED FOOD TO DONATE

**LENTEN SOLIDARITY PLEDGE

**PRINTABLE PROJECT OVERVIEW

**LEARN MORE ABOUT HUNGER

**HUNGER ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES