Reaching Out to Our Neighbors and Beyond

We extend the mission of St. Luke’s into the community by supporting numerous organizations with volunteers, donations, and fundraising activities.

St Mark’s Episcopal Church, Syracuse

St Luke’s supports the ministry of its mission partner, St Mark’s, which includes the Clothes closet, where people can buy gently used clothing for at a very low cost, a Food Pantry, Food Sense (a program of the Food Bank of CNY), and a monthly free feeding program.

St Charles Food Pantry

Food items for the food pantry at St Charles Boremeo Catholic Church in Westvale are collected throughout the year. In addition to our regular collections we participate in two special food drives each year:

Summer Food Drive
From mid-June to end of July a summer food drive is conducted. When school lets out items are collected that fulfil the need for lunch for children. All food donations all go to the St. Charles food pantry.

Thanksgiving Food Drive
Each October and November a special food drive is conducted for the St. Charles Food pantry. At the same time we collect hats, gloves, mittens, scarves and socks on our mitten tree. These items are donated the week before Thanksgiving.

Samaritan Center

During Lent sample size personal care items are collected for the Samaritan Center of Syracuse. Hundreds of items are collected every year. At Christmas each year we also have a Mitten tree to collect cold weather clothing items to support the clients of the Samaritan Center

Wider Episcopal Church

Episcopal Relief & Development

St Luke’s is a Hope Partner with ERD, the Episcopal Church’s aid and development agency. Episcopal Relief & Development works alongside partners to co-create locally-led, evidence-based relief and development programs that address the effects of injustice, poverty, disaster and climate change — and make a measurable, lasting impact in the lives of many.

United Thank Offering

Each year, parish members are invited to participate in the United Thank Offering. Through UTO, individuals are invited to embrace and deepen a personal daily spiritual discipline of gratitude. UTO encourages people to notice the good things that happen each day, give thanks to God for those blessings and make an offering for each blessing. UTO distributes 100% of what is collected to support innovative mission and ministry throughout The Episcopal Church and Provinces of the Anglican Communion, especially programs that support women and children.

Ephaphatha Episcopal Parish for Deaf
Pennies and other change is collected to support this ministry of our local diocese

Outreach Annual Collection

Each year, our Outreach Committee chooses a local charity to support and raises money or other items as need for that organization. In recent years we have supported Sleep in Heavenly Peace and In My Father’s Kitchen

Camillus Erie Canal Park
St. Luke's has maintained a longtime Outreach connection to the Camillus Erie Canal Park regarding the maintenance of the Marshall and Ruth Bishop Trail which is a segment of the Erie Canal Way Heritage Corridor stretching from Sims Store to Route 173. The Bishops were active members of the St. Luke's congregation and at the Camillus Erie Canal Park. The parish also participates and operates the ice cream booth at the annual Towpath Day in early August at the Camillus Erie Canal Park.