Congregations Around Richmond Involved to Assure Shelter (CARITAS) is a non-profit organization of more than 100 faith congregations in the Richmond area. Saint Bridget Parish will host families in February 2019 for the last time, providing a place to sleep, hot meals and other services such as showers and laundry. After this hosting, CARITAS will open a permanent shelter and our efforts will move there.

Preschool is offered free of charge to at-risk children in the Glen Allen and Lakeside areas. Volunteer opportunities include cooking and serving lunch, tutoring K-3 after- school care students, light office duties, serving as a teacher assistant or offering IT support.

Commonwealth Catholic Charities’ (CCC) HELP program is a partnership with local churches providing food, financial assistance, and credit counseling to persons in need. This Program relies on volunteers from the community that can give 2 to 3 hours a week by serving as telephone counselors or food pantry volunteers.

Cross Over Ministry provides healthcare. Volunteer physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists and medical students are needed to staff a clinic on a Saturday several times a year. Volunteers for administrative support and translators for Spanish and Arabic are also needed.

Volunteers prepare lunch at Saint Peter Church for the downtown Richmond community in need. Lunch work-ers help prepare, serve and clean 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Lunch captains coordinate lunch worker volunteer assignments. Lunch captains call the church coordinator to ensure the food needed is on site.

Through the Apostles Build, Saint Bridget volunteers will work with other congregations to build a home locally. Volunteers must be 16 years or older, and no skills are required. Work hours are 8:30 am to 3:00 pm on a Saturday.

Housing Families First assists homeless women with chil-dren build their capacity to live productively within the community. Volunteers are needed to lead and sponsor group activities for children; lead life skills sessions for women; cook and serve food in a team the first Fridays of the month (children to age 4 welcome) or provide clerical support on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thurs-days from 10 AM to 2 PM.

This ministry provides food for homeless adults on the first Tuesday of the month. Volunteers are need to pick up food, cook and package it and deliver it to the Salvation Army on Grace Street.

Saint Bridget Parish is partnered with the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in a twinning relationship with the village of Carissade in Haiti. Donations to provide elementary education and health care are sought in the second collection during the second weekend of every other month.

Join an exciting effort to expand the point of entry to ministry for our parishioners. Set policy and budget for our ministries. Committee members attend 10 or so meetings during the year and work from home on assignments between meetings.

The Virginia Catholic Conference has created an e-mail advocacy network for parishioners, Catholic-school parents, and others interested in legislative advocacy with a focus on Catholic schools and prolife issues. Please go to http://www.vacatholic.org to sign up.

BeFrienders provide pastoral care for people who are ill, grieving a loss, living with a chronic illness or dealing with another kind of life transition. We are in particular need of men for this ministry.

Volunteers are needed to welcome guests and distribute Mass leaflets, serve as Eucharistic Ministers during the Funeral Mass, train as sacristans to set up the sacristy for funerals and communicate with volunteers when needed.

This Ministry strives to be an active and positive part of the Saint Bridget faith community through wellness education, referrals to community health care resources and support services.

EEPC provides pregnancy tests, peer counseling, parenting classes for women and men, material resources, post-abortion recovery groups, social service referrals and adoption information.

The time commitment for this ministry can be whatever you care to commit because the ministry is multi-faceted and is well suited to different God given talents. It includes 2 to 3 hours of bible study facilitation a month.

The PRC provides compassionate care to women and men unprepared for pregnancy by offering resources and practical assistance for life-affirming choices. Volunteers attend spring or fall training to minister to clients experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. They also coordinate events such as diaper drives and baby showers.

The mission of the Respect Life Committee is to promote deep commitment within our parish to the respect for human life from conception to natural death, through community engagement, activism and prayer. For more information, please contact Mike Kozak, Respect Life Committee Chair at ckoz654@aol.com.

Saint Francis Home provides high-quality residential and assisted living care for older adults of limited financial means. Volunteers are needed to drive residents to medical appointments, assist with special activities and visit with residents who have few or no visitors.

Saint Bridget Parish provides volunteers as classroom assistants, tutors in math and reading, library and art department assistants and help with an In-House TV Communication program. At Blackwell Elementary School, you can volunteer weekly or on a one-time basis.

Volunteers are needed to sell fair trade coffee and tea after weekend Mass on the fourth weekend of each month. Profits from purchases help fellow parishioners in need while helping the farmers in third world coun-tries make a better living.