Give Back Sunday
an opportunity to give back
and help those in need
What is Give Back Sunday?
Give Back Sunday is an opportunity to 'give back' by bringing donated items to the parish such as clothing, food, school supplies, gift cards, money, etc. for distribution to various organizations who are living out God's call to help those in need. See below for upcoming Give Back Sunday collections as well as some of organizations we have helped in the past.
Christmas Giving Opportunity with Shoreline - The Compass Station
Take an ornament from the giving tree located in the vestibule of the Church and return your items at the church exits during December.
In addition to helping with the Christmas drive, consider supporting the work of The Compass Station by being a volunteer guide at the drop-in resource center, being part of the trauma-trained volunteer outreach team—meeting people where they are in the community, sharing your expertise, donating crucial items, or giving monetary support.
Give Back Sunday opportunities throughout the year:
Winter - Neighbors in Need Collection
Our very own Neighbors in Need provides a warm home-cooked meal, donated goods, and lots of hospitality to over 100 men, women and children right here at St. B's on the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month. The are asking for gently used clothing, new socks and undergarments, toiletries, blankets and sleeping bags, and/or monetary donations.
Summer Collection - Back to School program
During the summer, we partner with Community Christian Service Agency (CCSA) and their Back to School program to collect school supplies for local low-income families with students. Thank you! This year, parishioners donated over 80 backpacks for local students.
November Collection - Halloween Candy and Toothbrush Collection
In November, we partner with Casa de los Pobres (House of the Poor) in Mexico to collect Halloween candy, toothbrushes and toothpaste to be distributed at Christmas. Last year, parishioners donated over 330 pounds of candy and dental products.
These items are then combined with donations from other parishes and Catholic schools around the county and right before Thanksgiving several parishioners sort and organize these donations to create over 7,000 goodie bags for our friends in Tijuana.
Thanksgiving Collection - Canned Food Drive
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to show our gratitude by sharing our love and resources with those in need! We recently received an urgent plea for canned foods from Leslie Paul, the president of Community Christian Service Agency (CCSA). We are currently serving a much larger than expected number of homeless at our Pacific Beach center and housed families at our Clairemont center. In September the number of homeless served was up over 30% from the number of those served in 2021, and over 20% from the number served just last year.
December collection - Compass Station
Right down the street, on the corner of Chalcedony and Cass, is an organization that is changing lives by sharing the love of Christ through hands-on, practical deeds of service. The Compass Station—a service of Shoreline Community Services—opened in May 2022. It is a place where those experiencing homelessness can do laundry, charge a device, and use the computers. But the main purpose is to connect people to services and resource providers that can help as they journey off of the street.
Guests have access to benefits enrollment assistance, ID and driver’s license assistance, medical help, mental health and substance use services, housing options information, document recovery, legal and tax help, family reunification, and veterans services. Saint Brigid parishioners share their time and talents with guests at The Compass Station in a variety of ways including: as a nurse practitioner, a grant writer, and as volunteer guides.
Other organizations we have helped
In additions to our support of organizations on an ongoing basis, sometimes parishioners ask us to support organizations they work for or have a passion for helping. See some of those wonderful organizations that we have helped in the past:
- Sharia's Closet, is an organization that assists families and individuals in crisis - we collected new and gently used clothing in April, 2022
- Catholic Charities of San Diego (CCSD) exists to exemplify the scriptural values of mercy and hospitality - we collected clothing, toys, and tioletries for a short-term shelter for refugees arriving from Central and South America in June, 2021
- Order of Malta and Children of the Immaculate Heart serves those who are vulnerable due to human trafficking.- we collected gift cards drive for survivors of human trafficking in November, 2020
- Capadonna Society's mission is to provide community and resources to Catholics who served our country - we collected toiletries, snacks, books, and Catholic items which were shipped to those who are deployed in June, 2019
- If you have an idea about another organization to partner with for Give Back Sunday, contact Maryanne.