Christmas Outreach 2020: Gift Cards and Vouchers
   Do you ever find yourself saying, “How did it get to be Friday again already?  or “How did it get to be October again already?”  2020 has been one of those years; even though we have paused, halted and socially distanced, the calendar moves forward.  And now we are at, “it’s less than three months until Christmas; how are we going to celebrate it this year?”
   The parish’s long-standing commitment to helping families in need at the Holidays continues – with some changes. This year, instead of making Christmas gift tags available for parishioners to choose from, and requesting non-perishable foods to distribute, we are limited to offering families in need gift cards or vouchers from Walmart, Aldi, Tops or Bloomfield Big M.
   This year’s procedure may take away some of the fun of shopping for that “five year old boy who wants a Lego set,” but it does place the project in a safer environment. Those parishioners who are mailed envelopes have received in the most recent packet a “Christmas Outreach 2020” envelope designated for this project. This year, all contributions for food and gifts are being processed this way – through monetary donations, NOT actual gifts or food.
   In Canandaigua, the St. Vincent de Paul Society is once again taking applications at 120 North Main Street from October 6–November 7. On the application, families are asked to check which store they prefer to receive gift cards from. We will purchase gift cards based on how much money is raised through December 13.
   In Bloomfield, we will again be sending information home through the school district and have applications returned to a designated post office box.
   For those who wish to contribute to our Christmas Outreach 2020 campaign but do not receive envelope packets in the mail, you can use your own envelope. Please indicate which category(-ies) of recipients you wish to support:
____ gift vouchers for Bloomfield children
____ gift vouchers for Canandaigua/Farmington children
____ gift vouchers for migrant ministry children
____ food needs for Bloomfield families
____ food vouchers for Canandaigua/Farmington families
____ food vouchers for migrant families
(Unless you indicate differently, your donation will be divided equally among all of the areas you have selected.)
Please make your donation by December 13. Checks should be made payable to “St. Benedict Parish.” Your envelope can be placed in the Sunday collection basket, dropped off in the mail slot to the left of the PAC entrance or mailed to the parish at 95 North Main Street, 14424.
   Your donation will be noted as a parish contribution on the 2020 financial statement in January, 2021.
   If you have any questions about this year’s Christmas Outreach, please direct them to Deacon Claude either by phone or email.

Christmas Outreach: Mittens, Hats, & Scarves Needed
   Despite this year being very different, we are still collecting mittens, hats, and scarves for children to go along with the food and gift vouchers. If you would like to make a donation of mittens, etc. please leave them at the Dougherty Hall side of St. Mary’s Church in the food boxes or you can call Marcia Webster at (585) 394-6836 to arrange for a pick-up.  
   We will need the mittens and all knitted items no later than Thursday, December 9. Thank you for your ongoing support of this very important ministry so that we can continue to bless our community.