Interfaith Action
Harnessing the power of thousands of motivated volunteers from diverse faith and spiritual communities to relieve the effects of poverty and address its root causes
Interfaith Action (IFA; interfaithaction.org) organizes programs to coordinate the social justice activities of congregations across Saint Paul. Our rector, the Rev Christopher Rogers, serves on the IFA board. Get involved by attending the annual breakfast, where we host a table. It is always informative, inspiring, and suitable for youth and children.
St. Matthew’s has sent volunteers to almost all of Interfaith Action projects, but our primary engagement is with Project Home and School Tools.
Project Home provides emergency shelter and rapid exit case management services for area families facing homelessness. Stabilizing services include basic daily needs (meals, laundry), case management (assistance finding housing, employment, daycare, and school), financial education (budgeting, saving, credit/debt recovery), and on-site mental health therapy. In the past, St. Matthew’s and many other congregations around the Twin Cities hosted guests for one month each year, but Project Home now has a permanent hub at 1010 Bandana Blvd W. Each month we sign up for several slots to serve dinner to the guests. We also participate in their drives for winter gear, Holiday Dignity Shop, and other needs. (Photo is a thank you from the guests we hosted in 2018)
The School Tools drive (interfaithaction.org/school-tools) takes place each summer. We collect badly needed new backpacks and school supplies to support families with school-age children engaged in a range of programs, including Project Reach (St. Paul Schools), Hallie Q Brown Community Center, Project Home, Faithful Hospitality, American Indian Magnet School. Items needed include backpacks, binders, paper, notebooks, pencils, pens, markers, hand sanitizer, and reusable masks. Each year a volunteer at St Matthew’s collects the donations and delivers them to a designated site. (Photo: Courtney Billing and Elaine Tarone deliver backpacks in 2021)
