He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
Mission & Outreach Opportunities
Why mission matters:
Mission isn’t a program—it's our identity. The Church is sent by God to embody good news in tangible ways: justice, mercy, hospitality, and reconciliation. When we listen to our neighbors and serve alongside them, we become a living sign of God’s renewing work in the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
Matthew 25:35-40
Feeding & Hospitality Ministries
Sr. Foodshare food distribution occurs every 3rd Thursday of the month at St. James's when those on food assistance programs can pick up perishable and non-perishable foods. We also have a team of volunteers who deliver to those who are unable to get out of their homes.
Hartford Catholic Worker Food Pantry Program is an offshoot of our St. James's Cares initiative -- providing meals to families served by the Hartford Catholic Worker in the North End of Hartford. St. James's is now committed to donating the following food items for distribution to families in the HCW neighborhood: tuna, pasta, sauce, mayo, peanut butter, jelly, soup, masa, cooking oil, rice and beans. Non-perishable food donations and diapers can be left in the cart in the cloister.
Place of Grace, Food Pantry @ Grace Episcopal Church, Hartford provides food to over 300 families every week in the Parkville section of Hartford. Pantry hours are 9:30am to 11:30am every Thursday and volunteers are always needed to help unload on Wednesdays and on Thursdays to welcome guests and make sure that adequate and sufficient food is properly arranged and available.
St. James's Good News Garden provides fresh vegetables to families through our feeding partnership with The Hartford Catholic Worker, while allowing the parish to expand our Creation Care ministries in several practical but life-giving ways. The 18-year-old community garden ministry is a flourishing part of St. James’s mission, led by parishioners who regularly plant, maintain and harvest crops in raised garden beds and in the greenhouse. From March through November, the group meets every Wednesday morning during the planting and harvesting months. Volunteers take the weekly harvest to Hartford Catholic Worker in The North End of Hartford, where it is distributed to anyone who is hungry.
200 Identical Sandwiches provides sandwiches to clients at Loaves & Fishes, several times a month throughout the year. Sandwiches are assembled after the 9:30 service by members of all ages.
Hot Meals are provided once per month to clients at Loaves & Fishes and the South Park Inn. Activities include assembling tuna casseroles after a designated Sunday service once per month and delivering the casseroles later that week.
The Food Wagon holds non-perishable donations in the cloister. Parishioners drop food and diapers off throughout the week, and we deliver them to the West Hartford Food Pantry, the Hartford Catholic Worker and the Grace Church food pantry.
Seasonal Ministries
Easter Flowers are sold on Palm Sunday as a fundraiser for the St. James’s Feeding Program.
Winter Jackets are collected throughout the Fall and Winter to distribute to children, youth and adults who are at risk when the weather turns cold. Winter jackets, hats and gloves can be left in the cart in the cloister.
Poinsettias are sold in December as a fundraiser for the St. James’s Feeding Program.
Christmas with Grace
St. James’s assists Grace Episcopal Church, Hartford, by purchasing Christmas gifts for the children of the Parkville section of Hartford. We receive the names of families who use the Food Pantry at Grace. Each family lists the names and ages of their children plus a ‘Wish List’ of gifts from each child. Members of St. James’s purchase a couple of gifts for each child and return them unwrapped to the church. Please contact Ruth Mitman if you would like to help. Phone: 860-561-1594; Email: email hidden; JavaScript is required.
Christmas Bag Mission Project
For over 35 years, we have collected warm men’s boot socks (no dress socks) and travel-size toiletries for the men living in area shelters. Our goal is 200 filled Christmas bags. Items needed: Men’s heavy boot socks, travel-size shaving cream (3 oz), travel-size shampoo (3 oz), travel-size deodorant, small combs, ChapStick, travel-size toothpaste, toothbrushes, disposable razors, and bars of soap. Drop items off at the church during office hours or on Sundays. Join us on Sunday, Advent 1 after the 9:30 service in the Parish Hall to help sort and fill the bags.
Easter Toiletry Baskets
Throughout the season of Lent, we collect full and travel sized toiletries to fill a couple of hundred “Easter Baskets” for women and families living in Hartford area shelters.
Hartford Catholic Worker Thanksgiving
Every Fall we help the good folks at the Hartford Catholic Worker in putting together complete Thanksgiving meal boxes. This year they, with our help, plan to provide 80-100 households with everything needed to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner who otherwise might not be able to put anything on the table for their families on the holiday. Last year we provided stuffing, gravy, celery and desserts for 80-100 dinner boxes and 35 Turkeys.
Other Ministries
Journey Home's A Hand Up, provides gently used furniture and household items to folks moving out of homelessness and into housing. Most of the folks we work with enter their new homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and having a bed to sleep in, a table to eat at, and a couch to sit on helps create a home with dignity and supports long-term housing stability. A Hand Up serves over 300 clients annually, If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to email hidden; JavaScript is required
MLK Day of Service is a national event held every January, where Americans across the country come together for a day of service, picking up the baton handed to us by past generations and carrying forth their efforts. St. James’s participates by providing volunteers to many of the local activities organized in the Greater Hartford area.
Church by the Pond is literally a church without walls. Services are held outdoors in Bushnell Park at 2 p.m. every Saturday, rain or shine, hot or cold, sleet or snow. Church by the Pond is a church service of Christ Church Cathedral. The St. James’s community joins in this activity by preparing lunches and participating in the Eucharist at Bushnell Park.
School supplies: For years the good people of St. James’s have donated school supplies to area children to help take this expense and burden off the shoulders of struggling parents and guardians. These supplies are distributed to and trough our friends and colleagues at: The Hartford Catholic Worker, Grace Episcopal Church Food Pantry (Hartford), The Bridge Family Center and a few social workers in West Hartford elementary schools.
Youth Mission Trip: Every other Summer (when possible) a group of teenagers go on mission trip that bring the Gospel truth to life, for our teens, the group leaders and those we meet along the way. We will travel far from home, not to sightsee or relax, but to serve—walking alongside the vulnerable, assisting medical and mission professionals and listening deeply to the lives and stories of others. In doing so, our teens learn what it means to see Jesus in those who are often overlooked, and to reflect Christ’s love through their own actions.
These opportunities are about much more than just helping others—they are about transformation. Teenagers return from these experiences changed. They gain perspective, courage, empathy, and a deeper connection to their faith. They begin to understand that faith is not passive; it is active, alive, and world-shaping. They come back ready to serve not just for one week in the summer, but in their daily lives—with their friends, in their schools, and throughout their communities. In years past some of the places where we have worked are New Orleans (post Katrina), The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Ecuador.