St. Luke's Episcopal Church

1504 Myrtle Street (P.O. Box 381)

Calistoga, CA 94515

Third Sunday after Epiphany

Father,

Forgive us for the times we talk, the talk, but not by walk, the times we could not see beyond ourselves, where mindfulness and compassion were nowhere to be found, and the times of missed opportunities to help or simply hold a hand in need.

Lord, grant that we may be Thy loving branches, filled with reverence, gratitude and proclivity to serve, bestowing upon others the kindness and goodness of Thy loving grace. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Who lives and reigns with Thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.

Amen.

DAVID STONEBERG

Gina Penna, co-chair of the Calistoga Cares Food Pantry, was overwhelmed on Sunday,

Jan. 8 when she received a $1,906 check at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Penna called the

donation “incredibly generous.” Handing over the check was Carolyn Czapleski, senior warden of the Calistoga church. The money was collected over several weeks in December and included half of the church’s collection on Christmas Eve. Czapleski said the church’s governing body, the Mission Committee, continued St. Luke’s community outreach with the donation. “Traditionally, St. Luke’s is known in the community as helping where it can. For example, Hearts & Hands Preschool rents space in the parish hall for its preschool and has for the past 12 years,” she said.

Penna said the donation will help buy basic staples for the food pantry, including butter,

eggs and a variety of produce items. “We struggle with getting basic food staples,” she said.

During its twice-a-month food distribution (2-5 p.m., on the second and fourth Thursdays at the Napa County Fairgrounds), each family is given a bag of dairy and protein, a box of shelf-stable foods and a bag or box of produce. “During Thanksgiving and Christmas, we ordered bulk produce from Bill Shaw of Cal-Mart, who donated it, of course,” Penna said. “We get local produce for our regular distributions at a discount from Bill Shaw,” she added. Volunteers also deliver food to people who cannot get out of their homes, including seniors and farmworker families.

For the past 18 months, the Calistoga Cares Food Pantry has been working to become its

own 501c3 nonprofit organization, Penna said. It was originally part of the Napa Food Bank, but its leaders felt it could do a better job of feeding Calistogans if it was a stand-alone nonprofit. Penna said Calistoga has a higher need than other parts of the county. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the food pantry was feeding 650 families twice a month, including many seniors and families.

Joining Penna as board co-chair is Jody Boyadjieff. Serving on the board with them are

Antoinette Mailliard, Suzan Shaw, Blake Gilmore, Bill Shaw and John Strasser, who ran the

food bank with his wife, Louise for some 15 years. The late Helen Archard was part of the food pantry for 30 years.

Penna and her husband, Bill, are members of Calistoga’s St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

Currently the church offers worship services at 10 a.m., Sundays officiated by the Rev.

William “Father Mac” McIlmoyl and for those who can’t attend in person, Livestream services hosted on its Youtube channel. Visit the church’s website, St. Luke's Episcopal Church for details. Its mission statement is: “At St. Luke’s we are seeking to improve our conscious contact with the God of our understanding. Seek along with us.”

Editor’s Note: David Stoneberg is a retired journalist and a member of St. Luke’s

Mission Committee.

Visit YouTube for FrMac Sermons