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Veterans of St. David’s |
Prayer for Veterans
"Almighty God, You know every veteran by name. You know their deeds, their hard work, and their perseverance. You know their needs, both material and spiritual. Please draw each one closer to you and grant them all the peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7), the peace of Christ to rule in their hearts (Colossians 3:15), and ‘joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand’ forevermore (Psalm 16:11)." Amen
THE JOHN O’HARE VETERAN’S MINISTRY
Free Luncheon for all Veterans.
Offered every First Tuesday of the month from 12p - 1p.
The meal is generously donated by the Agawam Lions Club
Click on the box below to view a list of St David's members who served in the military.
10/1/2024: The Veterans Ministry is headed by Bob Rendrick, himself a US Navy veteran. Its main goal is to offer a time and place for veterans to come together to talk and support each other. Through the generous donations from parishioners and others, plus a collaboration with The Agawam Lions Club, we are able to do this by providing a free lunch to all veterans once a month.
These meals are held on the first Tuesday of every month. How can parishioners get involved? Like Ellen Scott, Diane Seaver, and Mary Fleury, you can volunteer to help serve the meals and pitch in on the cleanup afterwards. Another way to contribute is by donating money to help pay for the food. The cost to feed one veteran for one year’s worth of these lunches is about $75.00.
We have had donations from local businesses to help defray the cost and allow St. David’s to continue providing meals. Donations of any amount are welcome. You can also help spread the word if you know a veteran who might enjoy coming here for the meal and the company. For more information, contact Bob Rendrick.
These meals are held on the first Tuesday of every month. How can parishioners get involved? Like Ellen Scott, Diane Seaver, and Mary Fleury, you can volunteer to help serve the meals and pitch in on the cleanup afterwards. Another way to contribute is by donating money to help pay for the food. The cost to feed one veteran for one year’s worth of these lunches is about $75.00.
We have had donations from local businesses to help defray the cost and allow St. David’s to continue providing meals. Donations of any amount are welcome. You can also help spread the word if you know a veteran who might enjoy coming here for the meal and the company. For more information, contact Bob Rendrick.
VETERANS MEAL (2023): by Fr. Harvey
We are in the complicated part of the year for our Veterans Lunches. Normally we offer a lunch every first Tuesday of the month. But we skipped July since that would have been on July 4th. Our August meal will be the first, as usual. In September we don’t offer a normal meal, but the Lions distribute coupons for a free meal at the Big E. Then we’re back at it with no exceptions beginning in October.
We have also had a recent change. Our Veterans Lunches have been part of the Diocese’s Building Bridges Program. For most of the time we have been offering the meals, our affiliation with Building Bridges has meant that they promoted our meals and sent representatives to them. But Building Bridges has their particular way of hosting meals that was always a little different than what we were doing. After the June meal, I and the coordinator of Building Bridges, Chris Carlisle, decided we would no longer be part of the Building Bridges program. They will continue to promote our meals, but as an independent offering. The conversation was amicable, helped by the fact that Chris and I are old friends. Still, I think the separation will be for the best. One consequence of separating from Building Bridges is that we’ll need to do some fund-raising specifically for our Veterans Meals. If you are willing to contact local businesses to solicit their support, please let me know. Same if you have any questions. Thanks!
We are in the complicated part of the year for our Veterans Lunches. Normally we offer a lunch every first Tuesday of the month. But we skipped July since that would have been on July 4th. Our August meal will be the first, as usual. In September we don’t offer a normal meal, but the Lions distribute coupons for a free meal at the Big E. Then we’re back at it with no exceptions beginning in October.
We have also had a recent change. Our Veterans Lunches have been part of the Diocese’s Building Bridges Program. For most of the time we have been offering the meals, our affiliation with Building Bridges has meant that they promoted our meals and sent representatives to them. But Building Bridges has their particular way of hosting meals that was always a little different than what we were doing. After the June meal, I and the coordinator of Building Bridges, Chris Carlisle, decided we would no longer be part of the Building Bridges program. They will continue to promote our meals, but as an independent offering. The conversation was amicable, helped by the fact that Chris and I are old friends. Still, I think the separation will be for the best. One consequence of separating from Building Bridges is that we’ll need to do some fund-raising specifically for our Veterans Meals. If you are willing to contact local businesses to solicit their support, please let me know. Same if you have any questions. Thanks!
