INTERFAITH HOSPITALITY NETWORK

The IHN is a joint venture of several faith communities which provides a community respose for homeless families. Services consisting of temporary shelter, meals and counseling for employment and permanent housing, are offered guests in the program. OLL offers temporary shelter two times each year. See Parish Bulletin for dates.

Volunteers to help with a variety of services, e.g., food preparation, transportation, overnight and weekend hosting, are needed and always welcome.

OLL, as part of Starfish (an interdenominational/community program that assists the needy in various ways), operates a food pantry which provides food for individuals and families who are experiencing financial difficulties. Food is collected 12 times a year and stored in the pantry from which the foods are distributed to the needy. Anyone who is in need or knows someone in need is free to call the parish office.

In addition to the regular food collections, there are specific collections intended for the holidays. See Parish Bulletin for dates and details.

On the fourth Saturday of each month, volunteers from OLL travel to Trenton where they provide help to Fr. Brian McCormick refurbishing old homes in the inner city or helping in new construction of homes for the poor. Volunteers are always needed. If you'd like to lend helping hands to a worthy cause, please call Norman Diegnan at (908) 832-7638.

OLL conducts clothing drives during the year. See Parish Bulletin for dates. Clothing must be clean and in good condition, suitable for the babies, children, youth and adults who are in need of them. Clothing should be bagged or placed in boxes. Clothes are then taken to and distributed from the Trenton Mission.

JESSE TREE

Each year during Advent (late November through mid-December), parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes, participate in an activity known as the Jesse Tree project. See Parish Bulletin for dates. Once needs are made known by several agencies and by needy individuals who request assistance, they are written on tags attached to the tree. Parishioners then choose a tag, fill the need by purchasing the item and return it to the parish on given dates for later distribution. Since this is a large undertaking, many hands would help to lighten the load of the volunteers who organize this tremendous outpouring of generosity. If you would like to help us, call Ann DePaulo at (908) 534-2319.

RIGHT TO LIFE

Our Lady of Lourdes is a parish community committed to life in all its stages. As such, we promote and encourage those events sponsored by the Diocesan Office for Life and participate in those activities which uphold the life of the unborn, the sick, the elderly, those who are imprisoned and people in all circumstances.