As many activities are being re-shaped  by the Coronavirus, so too our plans for an Earth Day celebration.

Instead of an activity focused on Care for God’s Creation – the Earth, we are asking parishioners to reach out through Matthew’s Ministry to the children in our community who are among the food insecure.

This is such a difficult time for the vulnerable populations in our county .

Donations can be mailed to
Matthew’s Ministry
PO Box 10761
Southport NC 28461

Or made online using PayPal on our website at
www.matthewsministry.com.

Adopt a Backpack program time is here! Please click on this event link to see further details! Backpacks & lists of items needed will be available after masses the weekend of July 27- 28, 2019. All stuffed backpacks must be returned to the church by August 18, 2019. Sponsored by the Social Justice Committee.

Each year Matthew’s Ministry provides weekend food for children in Brunswick County who are
classified as “food insecure”.

During the school year backpacks go home filled with food every Friday
and are returned empty every Monday to be filled again. Matthew’s Ministry provides weekly food to
over 500 children at 16 area schools.
Matthew’s Ministry will need backpacks filled with food to start the program again in the fall. There are
two ways that you can help fill this need:

Option 1: Pick up an empty backpack from Sacred Heart (there are 150 empty backpacks that are ready
to be filled).
Option 2: Purchase a backpack and fill it with the food items (listed below) and return your filled
backpack to Sacred Heart.

All filled backpacks will need to be returned to Sacred Heart by Sunday, August 18.
FOOD ITEMS FOR THE BACKPACK: NO GLASS ITEMS
- individual packets of oatmeal
-one chef boy r dee item
-one can of a fruit or vegetable
-one jar of peanut butter (plastic only)
-one package of macaroni and cheese
-one pound package of pasta (pot size pasta preferred)
-one can of pasta sauce (cans only)
-one can of soup
-one package of ramen noodles
-one can of tuna , chicken or Vienna sausage
- one small package of rice

If you have any questions feel free to contact Shirley McHale at shirleyanmchale@icloud.com.

A Symposium titled “Examining the Face of Child and Family Poverty in Brunswick County,” sponsored by the Social Justice Committee of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, will be held from 1-4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 11, at the Church Social Hall and is open to the public.

Speakers include Executive Directors from Smart Start, Communities in Schools, and Brunswick Family Assistance, as well as a Counselor from the Brunswick County Schools.

The Symposium goal is to recommend at least one action to be taken by individuals, groups, or organizations to improve the lives of children and families here in the greater Southport and Oak Island area. This event ties in to Governor Roy Cooper’s recent Early Childhood Action Plan which suggests all of us must work together toward a future where our children grow up healthy, in safe and nurturing families, schools, and communities.