Helping Our Neighbors
CLARA'S AT THE CATHEDRAL
Clara's at the Cathedral Café at St. John's Cathedral is the place to have lunch on Fridays. This joint venture between the Clara White Mission School of Culinary Arts and St. John's Cathedral debuted April 13, 2007. Reasonably priced delicious food is on the menu for a full service sit-down meal complete with live piano or violin music. Lunch is prepared by students, graduates and staff of the Clara White School of Culinary Arts. Clientele include the downtown business community, retirees from our Cathedral Residences and parishioners of the Cathedral. The café captures warmth, spirit and fun, much like when families assemble to share good times and good food. Join us on Fridays between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm at the Café and tell your friends! For more information on the Clara White Mission, visit Clara White Mission.
COLD NIGHT SHELTER
St. John's Cathedral has joined with several other downtown churches in helping to alleviate the shortage of free beds available to those without a place to sleep, when temperatures are predicted to fall below 40 degrees at night. Volunteer teams work through the night at The Vision Salvation Army Gymnasium, corner of Church and Main Streets, and provide breakfast food and hot coffee to our temporary residents. Men and women 18 years and older may volunteer for this ministry. Volunteers assist with check-in by greeting guests and having them sign in or by handing out blankets. The times available for this ministry are from Saturday 7:30 p.m. to midnight, or midnight Saturday to 7:00 a.m. Sunday. The Sunday morning segment includes a wake-up call at 6:00 a.m. with coffee and donuts. After the guests leave, all the blankets are collected. Security personnel are present with volunteers at all times.
DIGNITY U WEAR
This is a non-profit organization, founded in 2000 by Henri Landwirth. Its mission is to make a positive impact on the lives of children and their families by providing new clothes. Since its inception, the organization has donated more that 1.7 million pieces of new clothing (valued at $26.8 million) to more that 173,000 people. "Undie Sunday" is a project that is headed by our Youth to collect new undergarments for children. This event takes place annually, sometime in the early spring. For more information visit Dignity U Wear.
DOWNTOWN ECUMENICAL SERVICES COUNCIL (DESC)
"CATCH BUBBA FUNDRAISER"
The Downtown Ecumenical Services Council (DESC) is located at 215 Ocean Street, Jacksonville, at the First Presbyterian Church. DESC is an emergency services agency, founded in 1981 by downtown congregations in which St. John's was included. It was established to collectively do "street ministry" by providing emergency service assistance to the poor, particularly families with young children, the elderly, and the sick or disabled. The items most covered are rent, mortgages, utilities and clothing. DESC also provides direct Financial Aid to meet needs that are of an emergency nature. Financial support for DESC comes from the Annual "Catch Bubba Catfish Tournament". "Bubba" provides a day of fun for the whole family, with fishing, games, prizes and a barbecue. "Fishin' with a Mission" provides DESC with resources to continue to support families in need.
SULZBACHER CENTER
Sulzbacher Center provides the opportunity for homeless men, women and children to achieve a better life. The center's comprehensive services include street outreach, daily meals, safe shelter, case management support, job placement assistance, medical, dental, and mental health care as well as scattered-site housing. Every day, the Sulzbacher Center is home to more than three hundred homeless members of our community–many of whom are children. St. John's Cathedral has provided volunteers and financial assistance to the I. M. Sulzbacher Center since it's founding in 1995. Our most visible ministry at the Sulzbacher Center is the preparation and serving of the evening meal on the first Monday of each month (except Labor Day). Around 15 SJC volunteers are needed each month to help the Center feed over 400 guests. The Sulzbacher Center Meal Group from St. John's staffs the kitchen with five to seven meal preparers from 3:00- 5:15 p.m. and serves the guests from 6:00-6:45 p.m. Children under 12 years may not be brought to the Center. However, 12 year-olds and older may volunteer. It is not necessary to volunteer every month. Some volunteers only have time to prepare the food; others only have time to serve, and some do both. Food preparation skill is helpful but is not required - most important are willing hands! For more information about the Center, visit Sulzbacher Center.
ST. MARY'S MISSION
St. Mary's was founded as a mission of St. John's Cathedral in 1888; the actual church building was erected in 1912, and St. Mary's became a parish in 1913. St. Mary's Episcopal Church and Outreach Mission serves north Jacksonville and the Springfield community by providing food, clothing, furniture, and counseling resources to those in need. Volunteers are needed to assist with the food pantry, clothing closet and home furnishing ministries, as well as the Wednesday and Sunday worship services.
St. Mary's BAG-A-MONTH CLUB
Pick up your grocery bag with the list of the "Theme of the Month" on the 2nd Sunday of the month and bring it back on the third Sunday of the month (or anytime you want!). To see the list of the THEMES for the entire year, CLICK HERE.