Sharing Ministry
We are happy to report that the Sharing Resource Center (Sharing Room) has reopened, with new days and hours of operations:
- Tuesday and Thursday, 7 a.m. to noon
- Sunday, 8 a.m. to noon
We are currently only accepting non-perishable food, but will also be taking in gently used, in-season clothing. Watch for the bins outside our Sharing Resource Center on the days/times outlined above. Please make your donation deliveries only during these windows. Help us stock the shelves!!
The OLPH Sharing Ministry, celebrating 40 years as a parish outreach, works to provide assistance to those who materially have so little. We primarily provide support to needy within our OLPH community and the needy who call upon our four inner city sharing parishes, their pantries and schools. We also provide assistance to many other agencies as our resources allow.
Who we serve:
St Sabina, 1210 W. 78th Place, in Engelwood, serves a primarily African American community. This parish, working in tandem with Catholic Charities, provides a food pantry to address area need. This pantry serves an average of 600 families per month. St. Sabina’s has an elementary school with enrollment of 222 students, 84% of which are below poverty level. The parish has established a low-income senior housing facility, provides job training and counseling through a job training center, orchestrates after school and youth programs and more.
Our Lady of Tepeyac (OLT), 2225 S. Whipple, in the Little Village Neighborhood, is a primarily Hispanic community. The parish provides a food pantry run by a parish nurse, who also provides health care screenings and nutrition coaching. This pantry serves an average of 450 families per month. OLT has both an elementary school and an all girls’ high school. The elementary school has an enrollment of 180 kids, the high school, 150, with 96% on scholarship. These schools are an oasis in a desert of poverty and violence.
St. Philip Neri, 2132 E. 72nd St., provides a pantry which is critical to an impoverished community. The parish has an elementary school, with an enrollment of 118, which is a life line to these children.
St. James, 2942 S. Wabash, serves a mixed community, primarily African American and Chinese. Their pantry is a life line in this impoverished community. They serve a significant number of needy seniors, many of whom reside in low income senior housing within the area. The pantry serves an average of 1200 families per month as well as over 700 lunches to homeless individuals.
The Sharing Room provides resources as Sr. Paulanne and our parish social worker work to meet the needs of local needy people. Food and clothing are often provided and other items, as available.
Serving Many Chicagoland Agencies
The volume of goods donated to sharing would overwhelm the four sharing parishes we serve. We therefore interface with 28 other agencies or groups to ensure that all donations find a home.
There are many volunteer opportunities to explore within the Sharing Ministry. Contact Betty Collins at collinsjustbetty@gmail.com to get involved.