Mission: Embracing our call to discipleship and service, the Lazarus Ministry seeks to serve with dignity and respect families and individuals vulnerable to housing instability, particularly those living in the Lee Road motels. We will support their basic needs through various events (Spring Clean, Read2Succeed, Summer Meals, Back to School and Thanksgiving Meals) and by assisting families in their efforts to find stable housing.
Lazarus Events
Spring Clean: The Lazarus Ministry partners with Orange County's Neighborhood Center for Families to provide cleaning supplies and essentials to families in need, particuarly those living in motels off Lee Rd. This event is held in March, typically the week prior to spring break.
Summer Meals: This program ensures children out of school for the summer still receive consistent meals. We provide 1200 meals over a 6 week period and need volunteers to make and package lunches and deliver to the motels.
Back-to-School: The Lazarus Ministry partners with Orange County's Neighborhood Center for Families to provide back to school supplies and essentials to families in need living in motels off Lee Rd. This event is held in August the week prior to school starting.
Thanksgiving Meals: The SMM Stores provide food donations and grocery gift cards for Thanksgiving meals delivered to families living in the motels that we serve.
Read2Succeed: The Lazarus Ministry provides volunteers for OCPS’s Read2Succeed program for Killarney and Lake Weston Elementary Schools that serve the families living in the motels we serve. Volunteers tutor and mentor students in developing vocabulary and reading skills. Trained SMM volunteers meet with a paired student for 30 minutes once a week for 17 weeks during school hours.
If you would like to donate funds to be used by the Lazarus Ministry.
- Electronically - go to the donate link on the St Margaret Mary website: https://stmargaretmary.org/online-donation/. Once you have made your donation, please send an email to [email protected] to let us know so we can follow up with the Parish Administration.
- Check - If you prefer to write a check, make the check out to St Margaret Mary Church and write Lazarus Ministry in the Memo Line.
Please sign up to help below:
