Parish Outreach is people responding to the needs of other people.  It is the story of the Good Samaritan, taking place in the present, in Sayville.  It is the multiplication of the loaves and fishes and feeding our parish community and neighbors.

Parish Outreach brings people who are in need of assistance together with people who are trained to help them.  Our volunteers empower those in need to help themselves.

In our program people are listened to, loved and lead to search our resources with an advocate.  The program is centered on the Word of God and the Gift of Eucharist and strives to proclaim through word and action the dignity of every person.

Some of the specific aspects of the Outreach Program are as follows:

The Food Pantry feeds about one hundred families per month, about 225 adults and 60 children.  We will help anyone in need within our geographical boundaries.  At no time do we ever send away anyone who needs to be fed.  They can get an emergency supply of food for several days or a soup and sandwich from a local deli if their need is immediate. 

Our main source of  food is the Loaves and Fishes Program in the Parish.  Parishioners bring bags of food to Church on Sunday or to the Outreach Building during the week.  We also receive food from the Long Island Cares Food Bank and Island Harvest.  Every year in late October, the owners of the Pines Pantry on Fire Island deliver dairy products, fruits & vegetables, frozen foods. A local doctor’s office donates formula and soap samples.  Parishioners who work in pharmaceutical companies give us bandages, shampoos, razors, vitamins, soaps, etc.

The Advocacy Program helps our clients with problems such as evictions, foreclosures, unemployment, disability, divorce, sickness, hospitalization, imprisonment, or immigrations issues.  Clients are interviewed so that we can ascertain what their difficulties and problems are and how we may be able to step in and offer assistance.  We have several advocates who will go to the Social Security Office or to court to encourage people to seek out the services they need.  We are payees for people who cannot manage their affairs because of alcohol or drugs or mental incapacity.

Transportation Service provides rides to the bank, doctor’s appointments, the hospital, grocery store, etc.  We also offer bus vouchers and gas vouchers to help people get to work or appointments.  This is not a taxi service.  The rides are provided by volunteers who listen and provide companionship to the client as they drive them.

The Thrift Shop is closed.  Please click here to see the extended notice regarding the circumstances of this closing.  St. Lawrence Thrift Shop is looking for rental property within our parish that is affordable and suitable for its mission. Any information you may have about such property would be appreciated.

Employment Program assists people who need baby sitters, home health aides and companions.  There is also assistance provided to those seeking employment.  There are volunteers who assist with resume preparation or letters and faxes to prospective employers.

Holiday Programs provide extra assistance to those in need at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It is important to the dignity of each family that they have an opportunity to share a special meal on the holidays.  We also try to help families at expensive times of the year, such as the “back to school” season.

Thanksgiving Baskets are distributed the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  Parishioners supply the contents, either by donating food items or donating the contents for a whole meal in a basket for a family,  Often people add touches to their baskets such as greeting cards, tablecloths, candles or other items which will make the holiday meal more festive.

The Christmas Star Program begins with the first Sunday in Advent.  Stars are cut out and left in baskets at the entrance to the Church.  On each star there is a number and a request for an item needed by one of our families with the size or other particulars listed on the star.  The stars are taken from the baskets by parishioners as they come to Mass on Sunday.  They shop for the item and bring it to Church or the Outreach Office all wrapped with the star on the outside of the package.  The gifts are then assembled by family and delivered by the Knights of Columbus and other volunteers on the weekend before Christmas.

Back to School season can be a very expensive time for young families.  Our parishioners are asked, at the end of the summer months, to bring in school supplies, back packs, lunch boxes, gift certificates for shoes, haircuts or other important items for starting the school year off on the right foot.

The Bicycle Broker is a parishioner who receives and fixes bikes of any size and condition so that indigent persons without a car can have some “wheels”.

Furniture Exchange consists of taking in used furniture to give to someone who needs to set up a house or apartment for their family or to replace old or damaged furniture.