And the crowds asked Him, “What then shall we do?” And He answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” - Luke 3:10-11

Christ clearly commands each one of us to love one another just as He loves us (John 15:12). True faith is not a dead one (James 2:14-17), but one that is alive and vibrantly active. The first step for every one of us in fulfilling this commandment and desire of God for our salvation is that we open our hearts to loving sacrificially, picking up that light burden of our cross, and loving others as Christ does.

While not everyone can help in every role or position in every circumstance, everyone can open their hearts and commit to being as available as circumstances allow.

The only requirement to being a faithful servant of Christ is a willing heart.

Please take a few moments to fill out our easy 1-page survey (it will open a new tab, so you won't lose your place.) It really is quite painless!

“Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” -Luke 3:11b

The easiest way you can start THIS WEEK to help is to purchase a small amount of extra food every time you go to the grocers; store and rotate it in your own home. This extra food is above and beyond what your family normally eats. In this way, you will "have food to share with him who has none." In an emergency or disaster that affects you personally, you will have extra for your household* and reduce the burden on the Church and other volunteer agencies. If the disaster does not affect you directly, you will have extra food to share with those who are burdened, thus being obedient to Christ's command. *( FEMA now recommends at least 1 week of food & water for each person & pet).

By rotating your food (first in, first out), you ensure that no resources are wasted. By keeping it at home, you ease the Church's problem of limited storage space. Below are five steps for easily managing food storage which will keep to keep food fresh and make the rotation as simple as possible:

1. Buy only extra food storage items your family will be happy to eat and that do not require refrigeration.
2. Buy foods with long term (3+ yrs) storage times (freeze-dried or dehydrated prepared foods & meals, dry rice, unground grains and beans, dry pasta, honey, sugar, salt, spices) or medium-term (1-3 yr) storage times (canned food, oils, flour, yeast, peanut butter, MREs).
3. Buy a Sharpie permanent-ink marker and a roll of masking tape. As you unpack your groceries intended for emergency storage, write the package's "use by" expiration date (in MM/YY format) on the can lid in BIG LETTERS. For bags of beans, etc., write it on a piece of masking tape so it's easy to find and read. Store this separately so it can be easily rotated.
4. Store food in a cool, dark, dry location. For maximum storage life, grains, beans, pasta, etc. should be stored to prevent airflow, optimally in sealed containers with oxygen absorbers.
5. Rotate this food monthly in a first-in, first-out order (eat the oldest food first, save freshest).

You may occasionally receive requests, notifications or an occasional survey referenced in the Bulletin, by email, etc. from St. Anthony. Please read and respond to them!

This certainly is optional, but knowing how to do CPR and first aid is a valuable skill for anyone to possess in an emergency, and could someday save a life of a family member, friend, or neighbor.

We can always use willing hands! Everything from entering data and making phone calls to providing food to assisting families with home damage are possibilities. No one can do every job, but almost everyone can perform some task to assist in the mission of this ministry. We need you and would be honored to have you at our side!