Volume 35 No. 3 Sharing and Caring Hands Fall / Winter 2019Volume 35 No. 3 Sharing and Caring Hands Fall / Winter 2019Volume 35 No. 3 Sharing and Caring Hands Fall / Winter 2019

FROM MY HEARTMy Dear Friends,I can hardly believe summer is over, the school year has started, and we are already getting ready for winter and Christmas! The summer was much joy for so many Mary’s Place families and children – between field trips, ice cream, and pizza parties it was a great time for so many! We had a great start to the school year – we had our annual, big backpack giveaway where hundreds of Mary’s Place children received your brand new backpack and school supply donations – we also gave away many backpacks and school supplies at Sharing and Caring Hands – thank you to those who gave so generously! We also had our annual winter coat giveaway where 400+ Mary’s Place children received a brand new winter coat. Many of you have also donated hats, mittens, and scarves. We will continue to give many more brand new winter coats away as the weather gets even colder. Thank you again to those who gave so generously!I am excited to announce that the Mary’s Place Minute Clinic is now also open Monday evenings – we are now open 4 days every week to serve the Mary’s Place families and children. There are so many medical needs being met – we are housing a child with a brain tumor, another child with cerebral palsy, children with autism, a few parents are battling cancer, and some are battling depression and mental illness. Thank you to all the doctors and nurses (and Dental Clinic dentists!) that continue to selflessly give of their time and love to so many in need.I also want to tell you that your financial donations have helped us give grocery money to many families in need. Many families are not yet receiving government food assistance or if they are it is not enough to feed their families for the entire month. We help them with grocery store gift cards and they are so thankful. Right now we are getting ready to give a beautiful Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday to many in need. Countless individuals, families, and children will be counting on us to help make their Christmas beautiful and blessed – so I humbly ask for your continued and steadfast support. From the bottom of my heart, thank you – be assured that you are all in my daily prayers. May you all have a happy and holy Christmas and a blessed New Year.Yours in Christ, Mary Jo Copeland Founder & Director of Sharing and Caring Hands

We had a great 2019 Summer Reading Program : 45 volunteers worked one-on-one with 195 children on their reading. The children read a total of 33,240 minutes and 1,098 books! Here, the children who read the most were rewarded with a field trip to Valleyfair Amusement Park.

MARY’S PLACE SUMMER HIGHLIGHTSThe children at Mary’s Place enjoyed a fantastic summer filled with many field trips, swimming, pizza parties, ice cream,

and fun activities. We wanted to make sure they had a summer break to remember! Thank you to everyone who donated monetary gifts, organized donation drives, volunteered, and remembered the poor and less fortunate this past summer – we

appreciate your generosity and are thankful for each and every one of you!

We took the children on many fun community field trips. One of the favorite places to go is the St. Louis Park Rec Center Aquatic Park : the children love the big outdoor pool, the 4-story-high water slides, and their staff are always so accommodating and kind to our group!

The children enjoyed lots of Dairy Queen ice cream this summer (thanks to Allen and Kathy Plaisted ofthe South St. Paul Dairy Queen). Here, the children enjoyed Sebastian Joe’s ice cream thanks to the Maguire Agency Foundation.

The children enjoyed lots of special art and craft project time at our Children’s Center. During summertime, we offer a lot of extra fun things to do on-campus since hundreds of children are home on summer break.

THANK YOU TO CULVERS & TARGET WHO SPONSORED OUR ANNUAL BACKPACK GIVEAWAYWe were blessed by both Culvers and Target who provided hundreds of brand new backpacks for the children living at Mary’s Place. We used your donations to fill these backpacks with brand new school supplies. Every single Mary’s Place child was able to start school feeling excited and proud of their brand new backpack/supplies!

HALLOWEEN PARTYWe were blessed by the generosity of Mary Jo’s close friend, Damian Moran, who with the help of his family, friends, and Valley Christian Church (Lakeville, MN), put on an amazing Halloween Party for 600 Mary’s Place residents. Damian personally decorated the building in festive and spooky Halloween décor and everyone enjoyed a pizza party, ice cream (thank you Davis Concessions for providing!), carnival games, candy (thank you Target for providing!), balloons, DJ/music (by Damian himself!), and dancing! Ev-eryone had a wonderful time! Many of our residents do not get to take their children trick-or-treating on Halloween night so it gives us great joy to have the ability and opportu-nity to throw big, fun parties for our residents. The children were running throughout the building, laughing and having a wonderful time, and you could see the gratefulness in all of the parents’ eyes. We are so thankful to Damian and his volunteers for helping us put on such an incredible event.

VEHICLESA vehicle donation can change a family’s life forever. If you have a car that would offer good, reliable transportation for a family in need, please consider donating it to Sharing & Caring Hands. We give your vehicle directly to a family in need so you can deduct the fair market value as a donation. Your donated car could be the answer to a family’s prayers. To donate, please call/email Jeremy Barthel at 612-328-1681 or bartheljeremy@gmail.com.

WINTER COAT GIVEAWAY Thank you to those who have already donated winter coats for the Mary’s Place children! So far we have been able to give 450+ brand new winter coats to children/teens in need. We are still collecting brand new winter coats, hats, mittens, and scarves as we will continue to help more children that move into Mary’s Place through these next several months of winter. We never want to have to tell a child that we cannot help clothe them for winter. Donations can be dropped off at Mary’s Place or shipped directly to Mary’s Place (401 North 7th Street, Minneapolis MN 55405) in care of “N.Lor.”

THANK YOU TO ALL THE

CHURCHES AND GROUPS HAND-KNITTING BEAUTIFUL HATS, MITTENS,

SCARVES, & BLANKETSThere have been so many churches and groups dropping off beautiful, warm, hand-knit items. You have gathered together, given of your talents and time, and spent hours making these. The children and families receiving are so grateful!

MEET KRISTINA, WHO YOUR DONATIONS ARE HELPING“I recently became homeless after being evicted from my home of 3 years. A year prior, I had let my mom come stay with me – she has struggled with addiction my whole life and since my brother passed away in 2017, it has only got-ten worse. She was always drunk, loud, and causing noise complaints from neighbors. After so many complaints, I was told we needed to vacate the house. This caused myself and 3 children to become homeless. I have no other family in Minnesota to help us, or take us in. I was scared, stressed, and felt horrible my children were in this situa-tion. I did not know where to turn. I heard about Mary’s Place from a friend’s mom – she said, “Go to Mary Jo, she’ll take care of you.” So I did. I showed up with my 3 children, 36 weeks pregnant with twins, and a scheduled c-section for in 11 short days. I met Mary Jo – she came right up to me and asked me my story. She did not hesitate to get me a room at Mary’s Place. She genuinely cared. She then gave me money to buy my children food and brand new clothes, which was much needed. Knowing I had twins coming, she provided me with a brand new double stroller, pack and play cribs, clothes, diapers, and money to buy formula. My children also received brand new winter jackets, which was perfect timing because of the cold weather. Mary Jo has made me feel that someone cares about me and has helped me beyond what I ever could have imagined. Mary Jo, as well as her staff, are always asking me and my children if we are doing ok – they have been great! I came to Mary’s Place feeling lost, hopeless, and like I had nothing and nobody. But being at Mary’s Place, I now feel safe, hopeful, and secure. I am and will always be grateful for Mary Jo and Mary’s Place.”

{Above : Mary Jo and Kristina and her newborn twin girls.}

CHRISTMAS GIFTS NEEDEDPlease consider donating gifts for the 450+ children at Mary’s Place and other local low-income families who come to us in need at Christmas.

We ask for and need everyone’s continued involvement if we are going to meet the numbers again this year. Gifts should be new, unwrapped, and delivered to Sharing & Caring Hands starting as soon as December 1. Wrapping paper & tape is always appreciated, too.

The following list is just to provide ideas of things the chil-dren would really enjoy however the children we serve will be delighted by any gift they receive from you.

Some ideas for the children: *Baby Dolls *Lego Sets *Soccer Balls! *Art Supplies *Cars *Basketballs! *Craft Projects *Board Games *Footballs *Barbies *Learning Toys *Stuffed Animals (Basket/Soccer balls will be highly requested this year!)

Popular Characters – Frozen, Moana, Disney Princess Tiana, Doc McStuffin, Dora, Tinkerbell, My Little Pony, Hatchimals, LOL Dolls, Hello Kitty, Shopkins, Elmo, Thomas The Tank Engine, Paw Patrol, PJ Masks, Cars, Minions, Incredibles, Spiderman, Superman, Batman, Avengers, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

We also serve many teenagers who are often over-looked at Christmas, so please include them in your shopping. Some ideas for the teens: *Make-up Sets & Nail Polish *Earbuds/Headphones *Lotion & Bath Products *Sport Balls (for both girls & boys) *Perfume and Cologne *Electronics *Gift Cards

Thank you for helping to make this Christmas extra special for our children who have so little.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS & TOYS DONATION REQUESTThis year, we are asking you to donate Christmas gifts and toys as soon as December 1. We will have more than 500 children to take care of (both from Mary’s Place and from local, low-income families coming to us for help). Each child gives us a wish list and our staff works countless hours to go through your toy donations, match toys to children, and then give the child’s parents their gifts to wrap. Our staff is hoping to start bagging these toys for the children as early as mid-December. It will help our staff immensely if gift donations are on-site sooner than later. Stores are already stocked with Christmas gifts and toys and good sales will start right after Thanksgiving. Donations can be dropped off at Sharing and Caring Hands or shipped directly to Mary’s Place (401 North 7th Street, Minneapo-lis MN 55405) in care of “K.Klement.” Thank you for your generosity and helping us give these children a beautiful and wonderful Christmas.

VOLUNTEER TUTORS NEEDEDWe are looking for volunteers able and willing to tutor Mary’s Place children with their schoolwork. Please con-sider spending two hours per week with students who need your encouragement, mentorship, and support to reach success in the classroom. No special teaching/tutoring experience is required.

Program Days/Time: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays from 4-6pm. *We are looking for volunteers who can start their weekly commitment in January 2020.

Sign-Up Contact: Kathy Klement kklement@sharingandcaringhands.org

LETTERS FROM THE MAIL BAGDear Mary Jo, Wow, I just wanted to let you know how much me and my kids appreciate you! Mary’s Place is a dream come true. The apartment is beautiful – it is like living in a $4,000 unit! That is how highly I think of this place. Our experience has been nothing short of BLESSED. We are truly grateful to you, the staff, the nuns – thank you so much for blessing my family. Thank You, Rita & Family (Room #229)

Though these letters are directed to Mary Jo and the staff, we share them with you to show the impact your love, generosity and caring love have on the lives of others.

Dear Mary Jo, Many thanks to you for the bed! May the Lord richly bless you and your ministry! Thank You, K.C.

Dear Mary Jo, Thank you for the wonderful volunteer experience at Mary’s Place. I brought my 8th grade religion class and we played with the kids in the playroom. We had so much fun. It was a great learning and serving experience for my students. May God continue to bless you and everyone at Mary’s Place! Thank You, Ms. Lewis (St. Paul, MN)

Dear Mary Jo, Our family just moved out of Mary’s Place into our new home and we wanted to say thank you for helping us. We lived at Mary’s Place for 8 months and worked hard to save our money to make this happen. We could not have done this without you and your support. We hope the next family that moves into Mary’s Place will be just as appreciative and thankful to you as we are. Bless you much for all that you do for families in need. Thank You, Jasmine, Ron, & Family (Room #339)

Dear Mary Jo, Thank you for all the special things you do for our family. Not only do you give us a place to live but you also give us gift cards and money to go grocery shopping and to buy our kids new school clothes. You gave my kids birthday spending money and they were so excited to go to the store to get a cake and a few toys. Thank you for being so caring and loving. We love you. Thank You, Jamie & Family (Room #300)

Dear Mary Jo, I just came across your website. I now live in California, but when I was little (in the 1990s) my family lived in Minneapolis and I remember us coming to Sharing and Caring Hands for help. I just want to say thank you for that – even though 20 some years have gone by I have never forgotten your kindness. May God Bless You.

Thank You, Vhang L.

Dear Mary Jo,

YOU are a SHARING and CARING HAND! Thank you for all you do for our community!

Thank You, Gary P.

Dear Mary Jo, You are magnificent, awesome, reliable, living, joyful, and obliging! Thank you is the least we can say to show our appreciation for everything you have done for our family! Thank You, Myaa & Family (Room #220)

Dear Mary Jo, Please add me to your mailing list! Wow! I am a first time donor and so inspired by the work you are doing! Keep up the amazing incredible work! Thank You, Sherry F.

LETTERS FROM THE KIDS

Sharing and Caring Hands525 North 7th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55405

612-338-4640v v v v v v v v v v

Business Hours:M-Th: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Sat.-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.v v v v v v v

You can use your Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express for donations to Sharing & Caring Hands.

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We also have the option of Electronic Funds Transferv v v v

Want to know more? Visit us on the Web!www.sharingandcaringhands.orginfo@sharingandcaringhands.org

YOU CAN DONATE TO SHARING & CARING HANDS ONLINE.

ULTIMATE GIFTPlease consider a gift to Sharing & Caring Hands as part of your will or trust as you do your estate planning. Donations can be in the form of stocks, 401K’s, insurance policies, or charitable remainder trusts. Talk to your financial advisor or call Mary Jo Copeland at 612-328-4290.Regular donations are vital to our work, and many employers will match your donations, thus doubling its value. You can use your Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express for donations to Sharing & Caring Hands. A donation of stock is also welcome and can have great tax advantages. We are a 501(C)(3) charity so all donations are tax deductible. May God bless your generosity!

Dear Mary Jo, Thank you for letting us live here. We love it here at Mary’s Place. The field trips and Teen Center are awesome. I have made some of the best friends of my life here. Love, Larry (age 13)

Dear Mary Jo, Thank you for the beds, food, clothes, and toys. I love living at Mary’s Place. Love, Isabelle (age 7)

Dear Mary Jo,

Thank you for the $2, ice cream, stuffed animal, and all the hugs. You are the best.

Love, Ana (age 6)

Dear Mary Jo, When I was younger, my family lived at Mary’s Place for awhile. We didn’t have any money and no place to live. We came to you for help and you welcomed us with big open arms. For the first time in a long time, we felt safe. Thanks for all you do, I still think about you. Love, Mikey (age 17)

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