Serving Those In Need
We know these times are challenging for many people in our community. We want to be able to help in any way possible. Below is a list of resources available during this time.
Love Thy Neighbor
Dear Parishioners,
Part of the life of every Catholic, every Catholic family, and of every Catholic parish ought to be generous service to those in need. The words of Our Lord in Matthew 25 inspire our action: "Whatsoever you did to the least of my brothers and sisters, you did to me." The words of Jesus in Matthew 22 “Love thy neighbor as thyself” similarly inspires us to reorganize our outreach to best serve the needs of our growing community.
It should be first be said that you do not need the parish nor direction from the parish to reach out to the poor. It should be part of our DNA. But we also know that people turn to the institution of the parish for specific needs and we want to meet whatever need is not being met by the family and friends of the individual coming for assistance.
There is a long and wonderful history among the parishes of Stillwater and this "Love Thy Neighbor" plan is the next stage in that charitable legacy. This new level of organization draws on our past and gives us maximum flexibility in the future to help more people in more ways.
The parish's outreach to the poor has six distinct and important parts:
Mother Teresa Ministry- Headed by parishioner Clem Ward and a wonderful team of volunteers, the Mother Teresa Ministry will continue its work of helping individuals and families with food and gas.
Backpack Ministry- Headed by parishioner Ashley Klepper, the Backpack Program is set up to ensure that each and every child in need from the Stillwater Middle School has nutritional food to eat on the weekends while away from school. They pick up a food sack at the end of each week to take home in their backpacks. We try to include breakfast, lunch and snack items in each sack. Since the Pandemic, the number of children in need has doubled.
Corporal Works of Mercy- Led by St. Francis Xavier staff, the Corporal Works of Mercy meets the needs of people who call or come in off the street with specific needs like temporary housing, meals, gas, and some household items.
Parishioner Assistance- Led by St. Francis Xavier staff, Parishioner Assistance is set aside specifically for parishioners of St. Francis Xavier who have fallen on hard times and need a helping hand.
Our Daily Bread- Our Daily Bread is the local food bank for Payne Country. We're proud to partner with ODB by donating monthly to their budget, having parishioners regularly volunteer there, and by providing parishioners a bin in our narthex to donate food and other items on a weekly basis.
Because Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma and their satellite branch in Stillwater is a separate organization, they will not be included in the "Love Thy Neighbor" funding but it is still an important outreach of the parish. Catholic Charities will continue to be a fundraising priority in the parish going forward through the Catholic Charities Annual Appeal each November and other needed initiatives as they arise.
How is "Love Thy Neighbor" funded?
-Donations from parishioners and the Payne County community
-Collections on Ash Wednesday and holy days of obligation minus Christmas.
A few actions going forward:
-2021 giving envelopes will read "Love Thy Neighbor" instead of Mother Teresa Ministry.
-Parishioners and community members can donate to "Love Thy Neighbor" anytime and in a variety of ways including wills, bequests, stocks, online (website and PayPal), the weekend collection, and envelopes. Parishioners can also designate a particular ministry within “Love Thy Neighbor" if they choose.
-Starting in a few weeks, there will be a monthly accounting in the bulletin of each piece of "Love Thy Neighbor" so you'll know how we're doing and how you can help.
-Growth in serving the poor is a priority for our parish. Our West Street Campus (the old St. Francis Xavier church and office at 6th and West) is currently home to Catholic Charities and has recently become the home for the Mother Teresa Ministry. When the new St. John Catholic Student Center is complete in August 2022, even more space will be freed up for future expansion of our outreach. We will pray and discern in the year ahead what that outreach can and should be.
Thank you for your support and for staying informed. This is how the parish will respond to the needs of those who come to our door. What will you do in your daily life to heed the words of Matthew 25 and help those in need?
In Christ,
Father Brian O’Brien
Pastor
Financial and Other Assistance:
Food Assistance
Mother Teresa Ministry of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
(405)372-7673
This ministry helps with gas and groceries.
Mobile Meals of Stillwater
(405)-742-5765
Deliveries from 11:30am-12:30pm Monday through Friday.
Mobile Meals will continue to provide lunches to their current clients. Volunteers are also providing groceries to clients. Not accepting new volunteers at this time.
Our Daily Bread Food and Resource Center
(405)533-2555 • 701 E. 12th Ave. Stillwater, OK 74074
Our Daily Bread is still serving guests. If you are in need of assistance, please bring an ID and proof of Payne County Residence (if different than what's on your ID).
In order to limit spread of the virus, our hours of distribution will be as follows:
Tuesday: 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Thursday: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Every 3rd Sat. of the Month: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Salvation Army Stillwater
(405)372-1554 • 1101 S. Lowry St. Stillwater, OK 74074
Open from 9:30am-4pm Monday through Friday
Clients will not need to provide identification to receive food boxes. If the office shuts down, we will provide sack lunches for people to pick up daily including extra food for children.
First United Methodist Church of Stillwater
(405)372-5854 • 400 W. 7th Ave. Stillwater, OK 74074
The weekly community dinner will be a pick-up service from 5-5:30pm each Thursday. People will not get out of their cars, it will be a drive through meal service.
Mental Health Services
Click here for a list services available in Payne County.
Shelters With Available Beds
OKC Rescue Mission
(405)232-2709
800 W. California Ave., OKC
Peachtree Landing
(580)762-3208
105 W. Hazel Ave., Ponca City
Salvation Army Enid
(580)237-4213
2220 W. Pine Ave., Enid
Salvation Army Shawnee
(405)275-2243
200 E. 9th St., Shawnee
Other Services Assistance
City of Stillwater
The City of Stillwater is now using a function of Google Translate to deliver COVID-19 updates to Stillwater’s Spanish-speaking population. It can be accessed with the link below, and it also has a permanent resting spot at the top of the COVID-19 information center (http://stillwater.org/news/view/id/531). Ahora tenemos información disponible sobre coronavirus en español. Lea la traducción aquí: http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=en&tl=es&u=http%3A%2F%2Fstillwa...
Grand Lake Mental Health
(405)372-2202 • 604 S. Walnut St.
Grand Lake Mental Health is providing mental health services from children to seniors. The clinic is taking temperatures and asking a series of questions regarding health before anyone is allowed to come into the clinic.
Payne County Youth Services
(405)377-3380
Salvation Army Stillwater
(405)372-1554 • 1101 S. Lowry St.
The Salvation Army of Stillwater is helping with rent, utility assistance, and clothing vouchers.
Wings of Hope
(405)372-9922 • 3800 N. Washington St.
Wings of Hope will continue to operate normally and will accept new clients. They are not in need of donations or volunteers at this moment. The children's center is open four days a week and free to the public, please call ahead to reserve your space.
2-1-1
Call the toll-free helpline 2-1-1 if you are in need of helping services but are not sure which nonprofit can help. 2-1-1 connects individuals in need of services to the nonprofit who is in their area and ready to help.
