Thank you to the hundreds of people and organizations who contributed, volunteered or donated shoes during this year’s Maundy Thursday Foot Washing. What began as a Holy Week service to the community at our Diocesan Center has spread far beyond Ocean Beach. ECS was back again this year, providing 70 pairs of shoes at their Friend to Friend location. In addition, Stand Up for Kids and Photo Charity put shoes on another 67 homeless teens and children of distressed families.
Generous donations from The Women of St. James; Good Samaritan, San Diego; Good Shepherd, Bonita; The Society of St. Paul; the Spiritual Ministry Center; St. John’s, Fallbrook; St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Lutheran Church, and individuals made it possible to serve the large and the small. There were extra shoes on hand for teens who had grown more than they realized, and cash for special orders like the man who wore a size 20 shoe.
Volunteers came from as far away as Carlsbad and Fallbrook. They helped cook and serve food, washed and cut hair, gave medical and dental exams, offered job assistance and pet care. The guests they served represented the mentally ill and homeless, working families with children, and a school teacher on disability.
After a hot meal and a haircut, one of the guests sat on the curb, holding a new pair of shoes, and said, “I feel whole again.”
355 pairs of shoes
173 meals
35 haircuts
33 medical appointments
18 veterinary visits
17 dental visits
8 job assists
6 VA service appointments
Sacred spaces have always been considered a place of safety… “But there is an alternate history that also holds true…Whether we speak of Archbishop Thomas Beckett or the Tree of […]
There’s a picture floating around our diocese from last February’s ordination: Bishop Susan is standing in front of ordinands Heather Lawrence, Christina Miller, and Dawn Stary. The Rev. Canon Gwynn […]
On Saturday, March 11, over 40 representatives from 11 congregations from across the diocese gathered at the Episcopal Church Center in Ocean Beach to learn about mission real estate. As […]