PORTLAND — “Our parishioners are known to answer the call and this is an opportunity to help some of our vulnerable neighbors.”
Fr. Paul Sullivan, S.J., pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Portland, hopes that parishioners and community members are as moved as he is when learning of the work of the Hope House.
The parish will hold the “Walking with the Excluded” donation drive on the weekend of Feb. 26-27 to collect items and gifts for those being served at the house, the first American home for up to 13 adult asylum seekers at a time.
“They’ve expressed a need for laundry detergent, toilet paper, tissues, cleaning supplies, diapers, paper towels, and gift cards to Hannaford and Save A Lot,” said Fr. Sullivan.
Those able to give can bring the items before, during, or after the Masses on February 26-27 at:
St. Pius X Church, 492 Ocean Avenue, Portland
Saturday, 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
St. Joseph Church, 673 Stevens Avenue, Portland
Sunday, 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.
The contributions will be brought by the parish’s Social Justice & Peace Commission to the Hope House on Monday.
“Hope House provides transitional living spaces and services for asylum seekers in a residence on Sherman Street,” said Fr. Sullivan. “The residence is one of the programs of Hope Acts, a non-profit agency that also provides English classes and other resources that support transitioning to life in Greater Portland.”
For more information about the organization or to learn other ways you can assist, contact Julie at julie@hopeacts.org or 207-274-6005. For French and Portuguese speakers, contact Eliodor at eliodor@hopeacts.org or 207-409-7952.
You can also visit www.hopeacts.org/transitional-housing and www.facebook.com/HopeActs.