“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
—
I Peter 5:10
Dear Members of the St. Philip’s Community,
Happy third week of the season of Easter!
As we received the news this week that we will need to finish the school year in our new virtual classrooms, I imagine that like me, you may have felt a bit or a lot disheartened. By now we are all getting a little anxious wondering how much longer we will need to be apart. Without exception, the hardest part of this crisis has been the physical separation from family members, friends, and teachers. We are all together in this, and with resiliency, hope, and faith we will come out on the other side better and stronger. For sure, we will never again take for granted the gift of each other's company.
I do believe that we have all found a new rhythm to daily life and discovered that the simple things we once didn’t do because there wasn’t enough time, are really more fun than we thought. Now we have time to bake with our loved ones, to ride bikes daily, to walk while hearing the birds chirping, and to play board games. Now, we have the opportunity to read a book purchased long ago, to attempt to put together a 1000-piece puzzle, to have our youngest children help with the dishes, and to make up games—because the greatest gift of all is love and time to enjoy it.
In this abundance of time, and out of a sense of gratitude for all the blessings bestowed upon us, I have received messages asking how we can help those less fortunate than us. I am always grateful for the generous spirit of our community, and I look forward to when it will be possible to organize some hands-on activities that we can do together. I believe that at this time, we should individually, as we are able, reach out to organizations that are best equipped to have a more effective and positive impact on the community at large.
That being said, as a Student Council initiative on behalf of the St. Philip’s community, we have reached out to the Le Jardin Community Center in Homestead, with whom we have had a long standing relationship, and asked how we can assist the children that attend the center. The response came back with a heartfelt message of gratitude and surprise. They are currently benefiting from food donations given by Farm Shares. Additionally, they are in need of pampers and pull-ups. Therefore, we have placed a $500 order for those items to be delivered directly to them. Also, we will donate an additional $500 to Ariete Hospitality Group, which is owned by one of our St. Philip’s families. They will provide food to be delivered to Casa Valentina/Emmaus, which is a shelter for young adults at risk.
Below are some organizations you can support:
- Farm Share - Their mission is to make sure that no Floridian goes hungry and no food goes to waste.
- Website: farmshare.org
- Food for the Poor - This organization helps families in need by providing food, housing, emergency relief, and opportunities for long-term development.
- Website: foodforthepoor.org
- Feeding South Florida - This is a regional food bank serving approximately 300 nonprofit partner agencies throughout Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties. Their partner agencies are food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, child care centers, and more, that provide food and services to more than 706,000 clients each year.
- Website: feedingsouthflorida.org
- World Central Kitchen - Founded by Chef Andres, this organization’s mission is to provide a hot plate of food when it is needed.
- Website: wck.org
Here is this week’s Chapel led by our Student Council Treasurer, Coley Hucks.
