Authors’ Luncheon – March 3, 2012

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Administrator

15th Annual Authors’ Luncheon
Saturday, March 3, 2012
10:00 am – 2:30 pm
The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club
Stevensville, MD * 410.604.1933
Directions here

Schedule of Events
Reception & Silent Auction 10:00 – 11:30
Book Signings: 10:30 – 11:30
Lunch & Authors’ Presentations 11:45 – 2:30

Please call Saint Martin’s Ministries at 410.634.2497 or email Sister Patricia at srpatricia [at] stmartinsministries [dot] org for an invitation.  A few tickets are still available for the event.

If you cannot attend the luncheon, but wish to make a donation online, click here.  Please indicate “A L support” in the purpose area of the donation screen.  We are not able to accept online reservations.

-Authors-

ADAM GOODHEART, historian, journalist, travel writer and author of the New York Times best selling book 1861: The Civil War Awakening.  As America marks the 151st anniversary of our defining national event, 1861: The Civil War Awakening presents a gripping and original account of how it all began. 1861, by Adam Goodheart, a historian, journalist and Washington College professor, is an epic of both courage and heroism beyond the battlefields.

Early in 1861, a second American revolution unfolded, inspiring a new generation to reject their parents’ faith in compromise and appeasement, to do the unthinkable in the name of an ideal. It set Abraham Lincoln on the path to greatness, and millions of slaves on the road to freedom. Goodheart’s book introduces us to a little-known cast of heroes — an acrobatic militia colonel, an explorer’s wife, a close-knit band of German immigrants, a regiment of New York City firemen, and a young college professor who would one day become president.

Adam Goodheart is the director of Washington College’s C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, an institute for fostering innovative approaches to history and culture through a range of writing fellowships, prizes, public events, teacher seminars, and student programs. 1861 was inspired in part by a trove of historic letters that he and his undergraduate students uncovered in a 250-year old plantation house near Chestertown.

_______________________________

First time children’s author DARLENE FRIEDMAN and her husband, author illustrator ROGER ROTH, are the parents of an adopted daughter from China. Star of the Week: A Story of Love, Adoption, Brownies with Sprinkles draws upon their family’s adoption experience in an appealing and insightful children’s book that combines the Star of the Week school ritual with a story about an adopted girl from China.

Cassidy Li is going to be Star of the Week in her kindergarten class, and that means she gets to bring a snack (brownies) and chronicle her life story on a poster. As she looks at snapshots depicting favorite activities, pets, friends and family, she also realizes that, as a baby adopted in China, “something is missing. I don’t have any photos of my birthparents.” Her solution is to add a hand-drawn portrait of them to the photographic collage. Her class applauds her presentation, and her solution makes it clear that she is proud of her Chinese heritage.

Darlene Friedman, an award-wining writer and editor, works for an international women’s organization in Philadelphia. She lives with her husband, Roger; their daughter, Eden; and their dogs, Dobo and Drizzle, in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Roger Roth is the awardwinning author and illustrator of The Sign Painter’s Dream and Fishing for Methuselah. He has illustrated dozens of children’s books, including The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History and the Unsolved Mystery from History. Roger hopes this is the first of many collaborations with his wife, Darlene.

_______________________________

Pulling from her extraordinary collection of vintage memorabilia, CAROLINE PRESTON creates the first ever scrapbook novel. The author transports us back to the vibrant, burgeoning Bohemian culture of the 1920’s and introduces the reader to an unforgettable heroine, the spirited, ambitious, and lovely Frankie Pratt. In The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt we are introduced to an array of flapper-era postcards, letters, magazine ads, ticket stubs, catalog pages, fabric swatches, candy wrappers, fashion spreads, menus, and other memorabilia featured on every page. Through these visuals, we meet and follow Frankie on her journey in search of success and love. Caroline Preston is the author of three other novels, Jackie by Josie, Lucy Crocker 2.0, and Gatsby’s Girl. She has collected antique scrapbooks since she was in high school, and has become an expert on the history of the scrapbook and the valentine in America. She has worked as an archivist at the Peabody/Essex Museum and Harvard’s Houghton Library. She and her husband, the writer Christopher Tilghman, live in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Saint Martin’s Brings Food and Safe Haven for Shore Families

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Administrator

From The Talbot Spy (reproduced with permission):

February 8, 2012 by Liz Richards Janega

At the end of a long, tree-lined lane in Ridgely, Maryland, is the remarkable Saint Martin’s Ministries (http://stmartinsministries.org/), that provides basic human needs for the impoverished. Created twenty-eight years ago by the Benedictine Sisters of Ridgely, this outreach to the poor and homeless began with the Emergency Food Pantry, which started in the (now-renovated) Saint Martin’s Barn.

Continue reading →

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Eligibility Criteria for Saint Martin’s House

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Administrator

Saint Martin’s House offers a transitional program to assist homeless women and their families in gaining education, self-knowledge and life skills. The program requires commitment and desire to change behaviors.

A family may reside at Saint Martin’s House for up to 24 months as long as the resident complies with program guidelines and achieves planned goals.

Women interested in learning more about Saint Martin’s House should call 410 634 2537.  To be considered for the program,  a woman needs to complete an initial inquiry with a staff member via telephone.  During the phone conversation, an appointment date  will be scheduled for a face to face interview to help determine eligibility for the program.

Eligibility criteria include the following:

Continue reading →

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Christmas Preparations At Saint Martin’s House

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Administrator

Moms at Saint Martin’s House are busy getting ready for Christmas. Christmas elves are in several rooms, reminding children that Santa is watching, and staff members have even made a cell phone call or two to let Santa know when one of the children has been especially good.

As part of the on-going series of cooking challenges, three moms participated in the cookie exchange.  Staff members got to taste test the peanut butter, chocolate chip with nuts, and snickerdoodle cookies presented at the exchange. Although Krystal felt her snickerdoodles were not a great success, her from scratch effort provided the opportunity to talk about cookie baking pitfalls. Everyone shared their favorite cookie memories and the three bakers clearly enjoyed tasting their cookies.

Gifts for moms and children have come from many different sources this year. Kent County friends of Cherrie and Bob Baker brought gifts for the children to a preChristmas brunch, Queen Anne’s County master gardeners added significantly to Santa’s conference room storage with gifts for moms and kids. The teachers from Caroline County who each month present the Read for Shore program bring  stories, children’s activities and gifts.

Each family has a unique table top tree donated by various departments in the Caroline County Board of Education, including a most creative tree from the Finance Office decorated with origami ornaments made from dollars.  These lovely ornaments will be unfolded as needed to help make sure that all have a Merry Christmas.

Many thanks to all who are helping to make Christmas at Saint Martin’s House a joyous time.

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Community Connections Bring Plenty of Produce to Saint Martin’s Food Pantry

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Administrator

From May to December Saint Martin’s Ministries received a variety of fresh produce donations. Clients who come to Saint Martin’s for food benefitted from more than 3500 pounds of produce – tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, butternut squash, cabbage, and the final harvest of white and sweet potatoes. Each of the organizations or individuals that provided these fresh vegetables has some special connection to Saint Martin’s.  We’d like to thank them for their generosity in sharing, and recognize those special connections.

Boxer’s Edge Farm connects to Saint Martin’s Ministries through Lori Sallet, our current Board Vice-President.  The farm is one of Lori’s projects and one of the many ways in which she and her husband Jonathan support us.

Sand Hill Produce has been sending produce our way for at least the last 4 years. The connection is Cathy Smith who retired in September 2010 from her position as assistant director of Saint Martin’s House. Cathy sometimes brings the produce donation herself, so that she can check out what’s new in the Thrift shop.

Victory Farm Community Garden

Victory Farm Community Garden brought a wonderful variety of tomatoes this summer.  Although some might say the connection to Saint Martin’s was Win Anderson, who just stepped down as Board Chair, folks who know the full story acknowledge Maggie, the Anderson’s Border Collie who frequently vacations at Victory Farm.

The Garden at Saint Martin’s Housewas also a source of fresh vegetables and herbs during the summer. A project of Queen Anne’s County Extension Master Gardeners, Bonnie Connor, wife of Board member Joe Connor worked diligently to bring about a garden for the women and children at Saint Martin’s House to tend and enjoy.

The Garden at Saint Martin's House

In addition to these generous providers we also receive produce from local folks who just have a bit of a surplus when the weather is right. A true community of sharing.  Thanks to all the gardeners out there, we hope that you will soon be enjoying seed catalogues and planning for next year’s produce.

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Christmas Giving

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Administrator

I am sure those of you receiving our recent newsletter noticed the CHRISTMAS GIVING envelope which was included. Again, I know that you, too, are suffering from the present economy. Imagine how those below the poverty level are seeking by with our help. I do want you to know that your Christmas donations always help us through the second half of the fiscal year so that we don’t wind up “in the red.” Thank God, and thanks to you, we are able to feed, house, clothe, keep people in their homes, and keep people warm. Remember that no donation is too small. When people send a gift with the message that “I wish I could give more,” or “this is such a small donation,” I always say that “it is more than we had previously,” and that “NO GIFT IS TOO SMALL.”

If you are not on our mailing list and did  not receive our newsletter, you may simply forward your gift to the following address:

Saint Martin’s Ministries
Attn: Christmas Giving
14259 Benedictine Lane
Ridgely, MD 21660

You may also contribute your gift online by visiting our  online donation page and including “Christmas Giving” in the ‘Purpose’ area on the donation screen.

May you find it in your heart to reach into your pockets, piggy banks , under your mattress – wherever you keep your money – to help us help others. Your gift will warm the hearts of many. Something else I convey to our clients: “ Say a prayer of thanks for all those who make it possible for us to help you!”

Love and prayers,

Sister Patricia

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Saint Martin’s Ministries Board of Directors Welcomes New Members

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Administrator

Kevin Daney, Treasurer; Sister Patricia Gamgort, OSB, Executive Director; Lori Sallet, Vice-President; Margie Callahan Palazzolo, President; Dana Delle Donne, Secretary; Chris Maxwell, Chief Investment Officer

At Saint Martin’s Ministries annual Board meeting, on November 15, the officers pictured above were officially voted in and/or commissioned.

Margie, who was Vice-President this past year, succeeded Win Anderson as President. Win’s contributions were numerous, but a few she can be most proud of are seeing that an Executive Committee was formed, that more programs were put into place at Saint Martin’s House, that the Bylaws were revised and accepted, and that a pleasant relationship was formed between the women and children at Saint Martin’s House and the Board. Win will remain on the Board and has always been someone who gives 150%.

Three other persons were nominated and accepted to the Board: Suzanne Gregory, a substitute teacher/retired librarian in Caroline County Public Schools.  Suzanne is also an active member of Saint Benedict/Saint Elizabeth parish and currently assists Sue McLernon in our finance office.

Bishop Lewis Richards is Vocational Coordinator and Pastor of “No More Walls Family Worship Center” and is proud to be a husband and father of five children. We are pleased to have someone who ministers in the Salisbury/Preston/Federalsburg areas.

Emma Shivers is Resource Coordinator of the Department of Disabilities Agency of Queen Anne’s County Department of Health. Emma was the first Director of Saint Martin’s House. We are happy to have her back in our Saint Martin’s family.

We welcome our newest members and are grateful for their accepting the nomination to the Board. I know you will find committed models among the present Directors, who are vested in Saint Martin’s Ministries.

I would also like to thank Joe Connor for accepting a second term and John Petruzzelli for accepting a third term.

At this time, too, I would like to express my gratitude to the many spirited people who serve on other committees: Executive, Finance, Development, Arts Event, and Authors’ Luncheon. You all do a marvelous job!

And last, but not least, I would like to thank my dedicated staff and volunteers. In the month of November, the barn staff and volunteers, did a Herculean job. We had people coming to the Barn in droves – 30 families a day on several days. We and you helped feed over 325 families!

I always know that the Ministries are in capable hands – hands that reach out in service – from the Board of Directors down to the faithful volunteers.  You make my job much easier because I know all of you have a vested interest in Saint Martin’s mission.

May you all be blessed for the blessings you are to so many!

Sister Patricia

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Food programs in diocese serve the needy in season of plenty

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Administrator

By Joseph Ryan
Dialog Editor

Advent, a time of spiritual renewal in preparation for Christmas, always arrives at a time of plenty in the United States.

The Thanksgiving feast, the Black Friday sales and the monthlong consumer frenzy of shopping highlight abundance in society but hide the year-round needs of the poor.

Those needs this year are greater than ever, according to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington.

Benedictan Sister Patricia Gamgort who help start Saint Martin's Barn 29 years ago (right) hands client Maricela Lopez-Cancino her turkey at Saint Martin's Barn. (The Dialog/DonBlakePhotography.com)

“The stagnant economy continues to push low-income households to the brink,” Richelle Vible, Catholic Charities’ executive director, said last week. “Membership in our food cooperatives continues to climb, and requests for our emergency food distributions are at an all-time high.”

Catholic Charities is expanding its Stock the Pantry efforts at its three locations for the more than 1,700 families enrolled in its food cooperatives.

Food programs across the diocese reflect Catholic Charities’ report, citing the weak economy and high unemployment that increase the number of people seeking help from Saint Martin’s Barn in Ridgely, Md., to Christ Our King in Wilmington’s food closet, to the Joseph House Ministries in Salisbury, Md.

“Right now is honestly the busiest time of the year” for food distribution at Saint Martin’s Ministries, said Jean Austin, chief operations officer. Last year about 240 families received emergency food each month. This year Saint Martin’s is averaging about 280 families a month and recently distributed 294 food packages in a month’s time.

The need “seems to increase every October,” Austin said, “because we’re on the shore, there’s a lot of employment through the summer but when children go back to school families have additional expenses. So as part of our food pantry operations, we give out school supplies.”

“We are the feeding ministry for Caroline County,” said Sister Patricia Gamgort, executive director of Saint Martin’s. The food distributed comes from the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAB), administered by the state of Maryland from a federal grant, also from donors such as schools, parishes, food stores and some that’s purchased by Saint Martin’s.

“The new people that we are seeing are people who are unemployed,” Austin said. “A lady last week had never been here before. She said, ‘I don’t think I’ll have to come back here.’ I said, ‘You can come back once a month.’”

“At least, if you come here for your food,” Sister Patricia said, “you can use the other money to pay bills. We understand people need help for a short period of time, as long as they need that help, we’ll come through for them.”

Parish ministry

There are two baskets in the vestibule of Christ Our King Church in Wilmington that parishioners can stock with canned goods all year to help supply the Kevin Sullivan Food Closet run by the parish. Debbie Mosch started helping with the food ministry about six years ago and is now coordinator of the closet that is open on Thursdays from 10 a.m. until noon to provide food to those in need. Last week, the parish distributed food boxes for Thanksgiving meals on Tuesday.

“We’ve seen a significant increase over the past year,” Mosch said. “The maximum we can serve any Thursday is about 30 people. Before, if we got 15 people, it was a good day. Now, there are almost 30. A lot of the clients that we serve are elderly or disabled. A lot of the new clients we’ve seen come in are economic cases. They’ve lost a job; they can’t find work; they’re coming in for the first time.”

Clients of Christ Our King’s community-based food closet must live in the 19802 zip code, Mosch said. The parish received a grant from the state for $1,000 to buy its stock from the Food Bank of Delaware. In addition to provisions provided by parishioners, Mosch said St. Ann’s School in Wilmington conducts drives for the closet, as well as St. Joseph on the Brandywine Parish and the Knights of Columbus at St. Mary Magdalen Parish.

People can only come once a month; they’re logged in to keep track.

Typically, clients will receive cereal, canned potatoes or a bag of rice, cans of vegetables, tuna, pasta, pasta sauce, soup, and macaroni and cheese.

Mosch said when people visit the food closet for the first time, “We tell them we’re glad they came. We try to make it as pleasant as possible.”

Donations help

There’s both a soup kitchen and a food pantry serving people in need at Joseph House Ministries, run by the Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary in Salisbury, Md.

Dave Heininger, who’s worked there for 14 years, said the soup kitchen has been averaging 170 to 200 people a day lately.

“The numbers are up, I figure, 10 to 11 percent over the previous year,” he said. “We get a lot of single mothers coming in with children who are living on welfare, unemployed. Unemployment is bad down here on the Eastern Shore. We draw people not just from the local area but all along the Eastern Shore.”

On the food pantry side of Joseph House’s operations, “we probably average 25 new families every week,” Heininger said. “We do give out government food. It’s a big part of our operation; the rest comes from donations. The donations we do get, especially this time of year, help a lot.”

Area donors also help. In addition to St. Francis de Sales parishioners’ support, Salisbury University students recently donated 12,000 pounds of groceries and area volunteers also conducted a food drive before Thanksgiving that filled a truck.

“This is a time of year when people are very generous,” Heininger said. “We try to spread it out to make things last.”

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Thank You-Thank You-Thank You!

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Administrator

Ellie Poorman, Chair of the Arts Event, and Elisabeth Reiss, auctioneer

The 6th Annual Arts Dinner and auctions October 7th at the Chesapeake Room Lighten Up! Celebrate the Art of Living was a wonderful evening, thanks to the hard work of the Arts Committee, the many donations of Art and non-art for the silent auction and the lively, enthusiastic auctioneering of Elisabeth Reiss. Elisabeth gave a stellar performance, stepping up last minute to the auctioneer job and raising the Live Auction to new heights–her London stage presence and dedication to her new role were marvelously successful.

The event raised over $69,000 for SMM programs.

Our thanks to the Art Angels, artists and local donors, participants, volunteers and many who supported these efforts for our success!

Ellie Poorman, Chair of the Arts Event for SMM

 

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“Toes and Tushies” Campaign to Provide New Socks and Underwear for Needy Children

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Administrator

Washington College students helped campus First Lady Elisabeth Reiss and Saint Martin's Ministries volunteer Ellie Poorman, second and third from left, publicize the new Toes and Tushies project at a community clubs fair September 9.

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Washington College First Lady Elisabeth Reiss has teamed up with local elementary and middle schools and Saint Martin’s Ministries to fill a gap in the flow of donated clothing to children from financially needy families.

The new “Toes and Tushies” campaign will, as the colorful name suggests, collect brand-new socks and underwear for children in sizes 3T to 18. “There is a lot available to families in terms of gently used pants, shirts and coats,” says Reiss, “but consignment shops and charities can’t sell or give away used undergarments. So a child may be clean and well dressed on the outside, but have a great need for a fresh pair of undies or socks.”

Donors can purchase packets of new underwear and socks for the project or contribute cash to the cause.

The Toes and Tushies project will collect both newly purchased items and money donations for the cause. Collection bins for the purchased items will be placed in Hodson Commons on the Washington College campus, and at Scottie’s Shoe Store, 307 High Street, in downtown Chestertown. In addition, for four consecutive Tuesdays and Thursdays this month (September 13, 15, 20, and 22), Washington College students will set up sales tables in Hodson Commons where donors can purchase underwear and socks for the cause from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.

First Lady Reiss kicked off the local campaign by scouring area stores for inexpensive underwear and socks for donors to re-purchase and donate. She and Saint Martin’s supporters Ellie Poorman and Ann McColl manned a table during the College’s Club Fair on Friday, where dozens of packages of the clothing items were displayed.

Saint Martin’s Ministries, which is based in Ridgely, MD, and assists impoverished individuals and families with everything from housing and food to job training, will distribute the donations to its clients in five Eastern Shore communities, including Kent. School nurses in Kent County’s public elementary and middle schools will get them to the appropriate students in their communities, as well.

Your kind donation to Saint Martin’s Ministries will be used for operational costs of all our program activities and administrative support of these activities. If you wish your donation to be used for a specific area of Saint Martin’s programs (such as the Toes and Tushies project), please so indicate in the area marked “Purpose” on the donation screen. You will receive a receipt for your donation via email.

Please click on the Donate button below to enter the details of your donation.

For more information, call Saint Martin’s Barn at 410-634-1140 or email toesandtushies [at] stmartinsministries [dot] org.

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