Care, Connection & Outreach
There are many aspects to “Outreach” at St. Michael’s — as one person put it: “Outreach is a bunch of great people doing a bunch of great things.” In a nutshell, the Outreach Committee guides a number of projects and initiatives to help care for those who are in need, both within our congregation, the surrounding neighbourhood, and the local Kelowna community and beyond.
Cathedral Cupboard
The Cathedral Cupboard makes healthy food, basic clothing items, and orientation to neighbourhood resources available to those in need on a short-term or emergency basis every Friday between 9:00 and 11 a.m.
We focus on cultivating a sense of community in an atmosphere of welcome and respect, and include space to sit and enjoy a coffee or tea and other refreshments together with others.
The Cup
board is coordinated by the Outreach Committee and staffed by many dedicated volunteers from the Cathedral congregation, from other churches nearby, and from the neighbourhood. Volunteers handle all the shopping, shelving, and food distribution. The Cupboard is supplied by monies from the Cathedral budget and generous donations from the congregation.
Gardeners tend the “Cathedral Garden” adjacent to the parking lot in order to supply fresh vegetables during the summer months. Additional produce comes from a shared project with other regional churches: the Gift Farm Garden in the lower Mission area of Kelowna.
Caritas Caterers
Twice a month, the crew of our Caritas Caterers Outreach volunteers make and deliver hot lunches to Metro Central to support the Metro lunch program downtown.
The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF)
The PWRDF is the world outreach arm of the Anglican Church of Canada. The Cathedral gives ongoing attention throughout the year to PWRDF special relief campaigns, and the Outreach Committee coordinates a specific fundraising project during the Lenten season.
Donations to PWRDF can always be made via the Cathedral if desired.
Our Cathedral PWRDF representative is Cathy Haig.
St. Michael’s Connects
St Michael’s Connects was launched during the pandemic as a way to keep in touch with members of the parish with words of hope and encouragement during the time of isolation. Parishioners have been ascribed to 25 pods by neighbourhood, and tagged on a large map as a visual aid to these connections. The project has proven to be a wonderful way to get to know other parish members during this time of separation, and has the potential to develop more connections and aid in time of need from those who live nearby and call St Michael’s home.
Contacts: Kathy Crang and Jan Roy
Hospital and Homes
Together, the clergy and Licensed Lay Ministers of St. Michael’s attend as needed with prayer for those in hospital, hospice, long-term care facilities, and visit a number of seniors’ residences in the city. While the latter is still in the process of finding a new normal post-pandemic, these are important aspects of the pastoral care offered from St. Michael’s.