LOCAL OUTREACH
We are a vibrant church and we help support the North End through our Mission Centre and we also work with the wider Winnipeg community.
Winnipeg Harvest
Our St Francis Mission Center on 730 McPhillips Street location operates as a Winnipeg Harvest Partner Agency. If you need food assistance please contact Winnipeg Harvest directly at (204) 982-3660. Mon - Sat between 9:15 and 3pm so they can get you registered with at a location close to your home.
Harvest provides food to us based on the number of people registered. Anyone can receive food as long as they call Harvest first and register with them. There are many Partner Agencies and we may not be the closest.
Food is delivered every second Friday and distributed on Saturday mornings to those in need. Volunteers are needed to help on both delivery and distribution days.
St. Matthew's Emergency Larder
St. Matthews Food Bank is an outreach program that supports an emergency larder at St. Matthews. It alllows St. Matthews to provide emergency nutritional support when the work of Winnipeg Harvest isn't enough. It provides emergency food until the next regular Havest day.
Non-perishable food is collected at St. Francis and blessed as part of the prayers over the gifts. The food is then taken to St. Matthews to be distributed as needed,
Other Outreach Work
The congregation supports a number of local projects during the year:
Headingly Jail Literacy Program: Paperback books are collected for the education program at Headingley Jail. All kinds of paperback books are used to help the literacy program from kids books all the way to adult paperbacks.
During the seasons of Advent and Lent we choose to support many local worthwhile causes such as:
Thelma Wynne Project: when we collect baby items to be made into Layettes by the volunteers at St. Matthews Anglican Church
Christmas Cheer Board: we support local families through the Christmas Cheer Board.
Innercity Youth Alive: the money we have collected has gone to support the programming at this worthwhile North End Community resource for youth.
INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH
Internationally we support our Companion Parish in Uganda and 2 young ladies through Compassion Canada.
Our Companion Parish in Uganda
Over the years starting with St. Barnabas and now continuing with St. Francis, The Venerable Rev. Canon Jason Musoke, Priest of St. Phillip’s, Nabusanke, Uganda works wonders with his orphans. Working together has helped rebuild dormitories for the orphans. Allowed the parish to replace not one but two cows which means the parish has enough milk for all the orphans and some extra milk to sell or trade locally. When illness struck the orphanage, money raised locally was sent promptly allowing children in need to get timely medical care. When a policy change at the high school the children attended locked them out until fees could be paid in advance, parishioners raised money to send to Uganda so the children could return to school as soon as possible. Mst recently St. Francis has funded the creation of a piggery for the companion parish. It has been incredibly successful, providing food, income and employment for our companion parish.
Jason and his wife Faith work incredibly hard to give their orphans the best care possible.
Compassion Canada
Through Compassion Canada, the congregation supports a young ladiy in Uganda. The funds we provide help support Fencan with essential items, school uniforms, shoes, medical care and makes it possible for her to attend school.
