We are scheduled to have our next Midnight Run this Saturday (3/21).  In preparation, we would normally have a clothing sort on Wednesday 3/18.  We can't do that under these conditions so we will be cancelling the sort for Wednesday.  We are also asking that all of those who have signed up to bring food refrain from doing so as we won't be able to gather in our usual manner for prep on Saturday.

The conundrum is this, homelessness is not cancelled because of the virus.  There are still those living on the streets in need.  Clearly, we can't help them in the way we normally do so Susan and I have been trying to come up with an alternative,  One of  the things we've come up with to help us continue our efforts in some form is to divvy up the food preparation.  

We are asking for volunteers who are willing and able to prepare ten (10) bagged lunches that we can pick up on Saturday by noon.  The lunches should contain a sandwich (turkey, meatloaf, peanut butter and jelly) with a piece of fruit, snack or desert and a drink (water or juice box) and be packed in a brown paper lunch bag with a marking indicating what type of sandwich is in the bag (we usually use a sharpie)
 
.For this to work most effectively, the volunteers would need to get the supplies they needed on their own, follow safety precautions (wash your hands), and tell us when we can pick up the completed bags.  (We may be able to supply the paper bags if necessary).  They also need to be firm in their commitment to do this.  We will have no capacity to react to someone telling us on Saturday that the ten lunches they signed up to provide won't be available so please don't enter into this lightly - it may not be as easy a task as it seems. 

If this is something you think you can help us with please email us or give us a call
Susan: 914.319.0232 | Paul 917.743.6715

 For planning considerations we'll need to know by end of day Wednesday who can prepare the  lunches.  Our intent is to take the bagged lunches and some toiletries and limited clothes that we can grab quickly and distribute them in a modified fashion on Saturday evening.

Thank you for your consideration and continued support.

HOW DO I GET INVOLVED? 

Volunteers may go to MidnightRun.org  to "join" an IHM Midnight Run group.  

Watch the IHM weekly Bulletin for volunteer opportunities. 

For questions and more information contact:
Paul & Susan Doyle | IHMMidnightRun@gmail.com | 914.472.7515. 

WHAT IS MIDNIGHT RUN?

Midnight Run is a volunteer organization dedicated to finding common ground between the housed and the homeless.  Midnight Run coordinates relief missions all year long, with volunteers from churches, synagogues, schools and other civic groups, to distribute food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to the homeless poor on the streets of New York City. The late-night relief efforts create a forum for trust, sharing, understanding and affection. That human exchange, rather than the exchange of goods, is the essence of the Midnight Run mission.

MidnightRun.org is the site for the organizing body. The site has information on the organization. 

HOW IS IHM INVOLVED ?

Associated with each run are a Toiletry Drive that takes place in the weeks prior to the event, with donations collected at Value Drugs in Eastchester, and a clothing/donation sort the Wednesday before the run.  Both are great activities for families and kids looking for a volunteer opportunity. Community Service hours can be earned by our volunteer students. 

MIDNIGHT RUN GIFT CARD

Leading up to the Christmas season, IHM offers "Midnight Run Gift Card" - the gift for those who have everything…and want to help those with less. Each is a beautiful art card telling the recipient that you have donated socks or blankets in their name to Midnight Run. The much needed and appreciated  items are purchased and distributed to our homeless brothers and sisters on the streets of NYC.

The cards come in the following denominations:
$20 - 20 pairs socks |  $30 - 6 blankets | $50 - 10 blankets.

Midnight Run Gift Cards can be purchased by stopping in at the rectory or by completing the Midnight Run Gift Card Order Form.