St. Martin de Porres
OUR MISSION
St. Martin de Porres Ministry's mission is to fulfill the Gospel message
of seeing Christ in those who are needy, suffering or lonely. We are the umbrella ministry for our parish outreach work.
Our ministry work includes:
- Serving as a liaison between St. Vincent de Paul, parish staff, food pantry volunteers, and Knights of Columbus to meet the needs of our parish and surrounding community.
- Overseeing our Christmas Outreach program serving over 200 children each year.
- Serving the homeless at Bashor Men’s Shelter at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and Central Presbyterian from November through March by providing dinner, lunch for the next day, volunteers to serve the food, and volunteers to spend the night. We serve approximately 100 men each month.
- Providing financial assistance to families who have exhausted other resources. We also provide necessary items such as beds and household items to families in transition.
- Organizing our annual parish yard sale that produces funds for ministry needs and assistance to our youth for retreat or mission expenses.
Contact: Sandy Lashley, sanlorlas@gmail.com
Feeding the homeless at cold weather shelters - November 2025 - March 2026
The St. Martin de Porres Ministry will once again feed the homeless at the cold weather shelters at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and Central Presbyterian Church on the following evenings (all Mondays): November 3, December 1, January 5, February 2, and March 2.
There are three ways to help:
- prepare food (we provide recipes),
- serve the food at the shelters (only requires about 3 hours, usually home between 8:30 & 9:00 PM)
- stay overnight. Overnight volunteers are our greatest need. Volunteers are provided a safe atmosphere with gated parking, private sleeping quarters, and quiet time to read or catch up on work. The departure time for overnight volunteers is around 6:30 AM. For those that want to help serve, we try to carpool from St. Andrew and leave by 5:15 PM, or you can meet us downtown at the shelter.
You will be able to sign up for any or all months. The recipes and instructions can also be found on that page. As an alternative, you may email Sandy at sanlorlas@gmail.com to volunteer or for any questions.
St. Andrew has supported the shelters for over 20 years. The men truly appreciate the hot meal and all of the support provided. Thank you.
