As Christians, we are called to love our neighbours.

Recently, Christ Church Cathedral became aware of a way to help children in need in its area of Fredericton and collaborated with a local school to provide assistance.

Located beside the University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University, Montgomery Street Elementary School has a diverse student body. Approximately 230 children are enrolled in Kindergarten to Grade 5, and the child to parent ratio is high. Its Home and School Association, a volunteer group of parents, guardians and staff representatives, regularly fundraises for school initiatives and to support students and families in need.

In November, the Home and School Association approached Christ Church Cathedral with a request for assistance.

The need within the school community is great, and the pandemic has made it difficult to organize in-school fundraisers or request donations from families multiple times a year.

The Cathedral was in a position to help. Representatives on Bishop and Chapter (the Cathedral’s board) voted to approve a $3000 donation.

Cathedral Treasurer Jamie Yeamans presented a cheque to Home and School Association President Reegan McDougall, along with some students from the school.

The funds will be used to support children in need through a school lunch and milk program, as well as provide appropriate winter clothing for students to wear outdoors. The donation will also support children with developmental needs by contributing to the creation of sensory rooms in the building. The school has a bare budget for these small rooms, but requires more funding to ensure that the rooms adequately provide for these children.

According to Home and School Association President Reegan McDougall, “The need is great, especially during this COVID-era when many families are struggling. Half of the children within Montgomery Street Elementary School have not yet had a ‘normal’ school year due to this pandemic, and our goal is to help as many families and children as we can.”

Supporting its neighbours through local outreach initiatives is an important part of the Cathedral’s mission, and members of the congregation were pleased to provide the support.

“The Cathedral is fortunate to have been in a position this year to be able to partner in this important community effort at Montgomery Street School,” says Geoffrey Hall, Dean of Fredericton and priest at Christ Church Cathedral. “Most especially, we're pleased to have been able to make the connection with some real needs right in our own backyard. We often think we have to go far from home to find mission opportunities, and while those are there and important, there's also much to do in our own neighbourhood.”

The school community is thankful for this new relationship. Says McDougall, “This donation has more meaning behind it than anything ever received in the past.”

-- by Kirsten McKnight

Thanks to the generosity of the Cathedral family, all of the Christmas Angel gifts requested for needy children were supplied on time. The value was approximately $1,150.

Forty paper angels were hung on a small tree in the Cathedral, each requesting a specific Christmas gift or stocking stuffers for a needy boy or girl in our city. The Fredericton Food Bank, Greener Village, coordinates the collection of names and wishes, and solicits local businesses and individuals to show kindness through gift giving.

Ann Deveau, with Charlotte and Claire McKnight, sorting gifts after worship.

The Cathedral has participated in the Angel Tree program for decades, and the food bank is appreciative of this consistent participation. The Outreach Committee currently co-ordinates the collection of toys and stocking stuffers although, in earlier years, the Anglican Church Women (ACW) capably led the effort.

Gifts were requested to be returned to the Cathedral by 17 November, which was earlier than in previous years.

“This was the food bank's deadline for our crop of angels, allowing them time to distribute gifts to the hundreds of families they serve,” explained Outreach Committee treasurer Doug Milander.

Some of the many gifts donated by members of our congregation.

Greener Village Angel Tree Project Coordinator, Alexa English, says that the community response has been extremely positive, and she expects all families to receive the gifts requested. Although group donations have been collected, individual angels are still available on an Angel Tree located in the Regent Mall. In addition to angel tags requesting a specific gift, the program also accepts monetary donations to purchase gifts and help families in need through other food bank programs.

Another option for Christmas giving

Cathedral members who would like to participate in another method of Christmas giving are encouraged to write a cheque payable to Christ Church Cathedral and indicate Christmas Outreach on the memo line. As in past years, these funds will be divided equally among the Fredericton Homeless Shelters, Women in Transition House Inc. and the Fredericton Community Kitchens. Cheques may be delivered to the Cathedral office by 17 December.

In this pre-pandemic photo, Cathedral members gather for fellowship with Outreach guests.

A couple years ago we had never heard of the coronavirus, the delta variant or the 4^th wave. Now everyone is aware of these lurking threats to our health and safety.

“When the Province declared the green phase of the pandemic, we were excited to think that we could welcome back our Monday morning drop-in friends for weekly gatherings in September,” said Outreach Committee chair Penny Ericson.

“However, the delta variant is much more transmissible and deadlier than earlier versions of COVID-19; at this time we can't risk indoor, sit-down gatherings with a food buffet, live music, and a display of used clothing and housewares for people in need.”

Penny said it's important to be cautious and protective for the sake of the guests and the volunteers.

Rev. Kelly Burke of New Maryland United Church, whose congregation supports the cathedral's outreach efforts with volunteers, food donations and funds, agrees.

Before the pandemic, visitors were welcomed into the hall for a variety of food and drinks.

“It's hard not to come and be present to all our friends, but safety first,” she said. “This delta variant means that we need to be vigilant. We send our love and prayers and will see you again when it is good and safe to do so.”

Marc Schneider has been learning new songs on his banjo during the pandemic, so that the band at the drop-in would have a larger repertoire of gospel music when things returned to normal.

“It makes sense to wait, but it's sad,” he said.  “The personal relationships and support in the Monday morning community were very important to volunteers and guests alike. Maybe some day....”

Mary Lou Cotter worked in the kitchen on Monday mornings, serving coffee, making sandwiches, sharing her delicious homemade muffins. She is typical of other cathedral parishioners who help to run the program. “Let me know what I can do to help while we wait and see,” she said.

Goodie bags are currently distributed to Outreach guests one Monday each month.

Goodie bags with fresh fruit, cold drinks, homemade baking, cheese, and granola bars will continue to be distributed outdoors at Cathedral Memorial Hall on the last Monday morning of the month. People in need who stop by are also offered a $10 gift card for a local supermarket or some bus tickets. The average “attendance” is 46.

“We provided this modest help every single month throughout the pandemic, thanks to the support of our church family, our volunteers and St. Margaret's Anglican Church which supplies fruit,” Penny said.

“We'll keep doing it in this way, but we'll keep reassessing the situation until we're sure it's safe to welcome everybody back inside for what was always a fun time.”

-- by Ann Deveau