Holy Thursday: No School: Day of Prayer and Service

NO SCHOOL

Community Service Ideas for “Day of Prayer and Service”

Holy Thursday, April 1, 2021

Provide food and other assistance to men, women, and children in need:

• One Bistro (Xenia): https://onebistro.org/volunteer/
• Hope House Mission (Middletown) https://hhmission.org/get-involved/volunteer/
• City Gospel Mission (Cincinnati)  https://volunteer.samaritan.com/custom/521/volunteer_home
• Joshua’s Place (South Lebanon) – http://www.joshuasplace.cc/
• Matthew 25 Ministries (Blue Ash) -  https://m25m.org/localdonations/
• Vincent DePaul (Dayton)https://stvincentdayton.org/volunteer/
• Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen (Cincinnati) https://ourdailybread.us/volunteer/
• Shared Harvest Foodbank (Fairfield) https://www.sharedharvest.org/volunteer
• Threads of Miami Valley (Miamisburg) http://threadsoutreach.org/volunteer.html
• Hannah’s Treasure Chest (Centerville) https://hannahstreasure.org/wp1/

Show love and support to local senior citizens in need of support:

• Create and send cards to elderly relatives, neighbors, or even people you’ve never met at local nursing home facilities (I.e. at Bickford in Middletown, Otterbein Senior Living, etc.)

Help children and their families:

• Send a card to children in the hospital. https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/greeting-card
• Project Linus - Make and donate blankets to children in need of a big hug.  Blankets are collected locally & distributed to children in hospitals, shelters, & social service agencies.https://www.projectlinus.org/
• NEST Community Learning Center (Loveland) - Be an online tutor for a child.  https://nestclc.org/volunteer/

Volunteer with projects at your local church

Provide support and encouragement to health care workers, soldiers, delivery drivers, etc.:

• Write letters and/or make drawings of encouragement and support for health care front line workers at local hospitals, doctor’s offices, pharmacies, etc.
• Make crafts or write letters to be included in soldier care packages.  Operation Gratitude can help you come up with ideas and find a donation center near you. https://www.operationgratitude.com/express-your-thanks-virtual/

Work with animals 

• Paws Adoption Center (Monroe) http://www.pawsadoptioncenter.org/
• Animal Friends Humane Society (Hamilton) http://www.animalfriendshs.org/ways-to-help/volunteer/
• Humane Society of Dayton https://hsdayton.org/how-to-help/volunteer/#1536777865652-22703fb4-e87b

Care for the environment

• Clean up trash in a local park or neighborhood
• Gorman Heritage Farm (Cincinnati) http://gormanfarm.org/volunteer

Make and donate masks  https://www.joann.com/make-to-give-response/

Provide virtual assistance for the blind:  Be My Eyes is a free app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call. https://www.bemyeyes.com/

Donate blood  

• “Right now, the American Red Cross encourages healthy, eligible individuals to schedule a blood or platelet donation appointment atorg to help maintain a sufficient blood supply and avoid any potential shortages. Donating blood is a safe process and people should not hesitate to give or receive blood. The need for blood is constant, and volunteer donors are the only source of blood for those in need of transfusions.”
• Greater Cincinnati American Red Cross – April 1 = 9:00am-2:00pm (2111 Dana Avenue; Cincinnati, OH 45207).  Appointment needed.
• SEE TIMES

Other resources and helpful links: 

• Catholic Social Action Office Archdiocese of Cincinnati http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/ministries-offices/catholic-social-action/
• Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio https://ccswoh.org/