St. Francis Parish is preparing to provide some groceries for the needy in DETROIT this June (Next Food Drive Date).  Empty grocery bags with a shopping list attached will be distributed on one weekend then the following weekend the bags will be returned with groceries that will be delivered to ---  in DETROIT.  (It's about 500-bags of groceries.)

This is a short-term one-time commitment to serve our community.  We need you, or your group to help.  (See the Coordinator's checklist-of-things-to-do below.)
Questions Contact: the Parish Social Ministry Office,  .

Publicize the need for coordinator.  One coordinator person must keep track of the details of who & what is already committed or needed. 

"Sign-ups" are e-mailed through the web page.  Decide who is responsible to pay attention to the sign-ups & any questions that may arise from participants.  Unless the participant has a question and requests a response, we need NOT respond to the sign-ups.  The volunteers that sign-up are told, "We look forward to seeing you at your committed sign-up time.  We will not contact you before the event unless there is some change in our needs."   All sign-up sheets that are returned to the office by fax and/or in the collection basket at St. Francis are given to an evening receptionist to be typed into the Web form sign-up, which is automatically submitted to the e-mail address of the person responsible. 

Four weeks before:
1. Contact :  Corpus Christi Catholic Parish, Detroit,  MI:
See driving directions & other info at:
http://www.stfrancisa2.com/socialministry/stgerard.htm
Fr. Donald (Don) Archambault, Pastor  : (St. Gerard Center 313-537-5770); (The Social Ministry Director, Nalani Bradford                         is at Immaculate Heart of Mary Center IHM 313-272-0990); (Fr. Don's Cell313-801-7902); 
Mailing Address:  19800 Pembroke Ave.,  Detroit, MI 48219-2145. 
On the web at:  www.stgerard-detroit.org  & www.ihm-detroit.org/   New Hope Community Development Non-Profit Housing:   North West Detroit Youth Coalition

A. Find out what sort of food they need. 

B. Make sure they can be open the Sunday of the drive to accept the bags.

C. Communicate that our St. Francis brigade wants to meet others, people that live in the neighborhood as well as staff.  We hope to have at least 10-20 hungry volunteers from St. Francis Parish & we hope to eat lunch with some of your folks for conversation.

Arrange to have the shopping lists printed & copied.  Copy each type of shopping list on a different color paper, cut the page in half & suffle the the different color lists.  (You are free to make colored paper copies at St. Francis Office if you tell the person at the front desk that it is for the Food Drive.   Questions: See the Social Ministry Director about colored paper & copying at St. Francis Parish Office.) 

• "Request Donation Letter" "foodgrocerystoredonation.doc"; or, the
• "Thank You Letter" "foodgrocerystorethanks.doc".

6. Confirm the Car Pool Drivers for the Sunday of the drive Departure from St. Francis.  On Sunday, at 12:00 Noon- 4PM.    (Extra drivers enables persons with disabilities & those not able to drive to participate in the event.)    (In the past:  2005, we had a car pool.  2004, & 2003, we used the Father Gabriel Richard High School Bus.  And, 2002, & 2001, we used the: school bus from the Ann Arbor Public Schools.

7. Get a U-haul truck - the bigest, 26 foot long  (their largest). - for Saturday by the end of 5PM Mass & to be returned by about 5PM on Sunday. (In the past:2005, we used the U-HAUL TRUCK from ... and had to return it to a station in Detroit.  In 2004, & 2003, & 2002, we used the: U-HAUL TRUCK on Washtenaw Ave., Ypsilanti.  AND, in 2001, we used the: U-HAUL TRUCK CENTER, 3655 S. STATE St., Ann Arbor. 

8. Prepare announcements for the Forum and to be given by the priest at Mass. (Scott Wright prepares all announcements.)  The announcements should both, give parishioners information about the drive, and, ask for volunteers.  The Forum should have a form, and a Web address for accepting volunteers.

9. Distribute the empty bags: arrange to have volunteers distribute the empty bags.  The empty bags are distributed by volunteeers one week before the delivery date at every door of the church & at the end of every Mass. 

10. Prepare maps to delivery location & several extra copies for the U-haul truck & car pool drivers/Bus.    "For the day of the drive our contact person is _________________."

Directions from Ann Arbor: 
See driving directions & other info at:
http://www.stfrancisa2.com/socialministry/stgerard.htm
 

One week before:

• The labled Grocery Bags should be placed in the church ushers' room.
• Make sure the volunteer distributors know that the bags are in the church ushers' room. 
• we actually ran out of bags at the Sunday 5:00 mass on 2/4/2007.  There were a few people who asked for bags but didn't receive them.   Next time around, it might be helpful to have an extra stack of the grocery lists that could be handed to people if the bags run out.  That way they could take a list, fill a bag they already have at home, staple the list on the bag and bring it back the following week.  Just a thought.

• Signs must be posted on the church doors stating, "Take the food to your seat."  (These signs are already made and laminated in the Parish Social Minstry Office file cabinet under "Food Drive". 
• For the 12:15 Mass only the backside of the signs should state, "Take the food to the Big Truck in front of the PAC." 
• Make sure an announcement is made after each mass for volunteers to "Take the food to your seat"  except at the 12:15 the announcement is at the beginning of Mass & it states "Take the food to the delivery truck." 
• As food is moved to the truck, make sure there are people to help load it.
• Have a padlock to lock the cargo area of the truck.
• Tables can be used in the truck as shelving for the grocery bags.   (They can be put in the truck on Saturday or Sunday morning.)  Remember that you will need some lightweight rope & scissors to tie the tables to the wall of the truck. 

---------------------  ---------------------  --------------------- 
After it's all done:
1. Pat yourself on the back, good job and thanks for your help.
2. Relax
3. Review & let us know:    A. Was it helpful?    B. Was there a major task, which you needed to do which should be on this checklist?  C. Did any of the contact information change? Did you find new contacts?

More Information on the Bus & Truck History at:
C:\My Documents\Scott Wright\AA Activities at St. Francis\Transportation\Bus & Truck.txt
---------------------  ---------------------  --------------------- 
Blessings,
the Parish Social Ministry Office,  .
Read more about the next food drive program on the Internet at:
http://stfrancisa2.com/socialministry/fooddrives.htm