Picture it: a bus pulling into Canobie Lake Park on a summer morning, middle-school-age kids spilling out into a day with nothing required of them except to be their vibrant, young selves. All Saints Parish sponsors that trip every year — covering tickets, transportation, food, and snacks — and for many of the young people who climb onto that bus, it is a highlight of their summer. It is also, for the volunteers who make it happen, a moment worth holding onto: a glimpse of what these young lives can look like when given a little more room.
All Saints is one of about fifty partner churches who have been in relationship with St. Stephen’s for seventeen years. And we have followed their lead as the program has expanded to serve the whole South End community. English-language classes and other opportunities enable community members to connect with one another and to advocate for the community. Many children who were served by St. Stephen’s in their school years have become part of the leadership team.
In its current iteration, St. Stephen’s Youth Programs (SSYP) serves 850 young people ages 5 to 25 from Boston neighborhoods with limited economic opportunity, through multiple interconnected programs. B-READY runs after school September through June, providing enrichment and mentorship on school days. B-SAFE takes over in the summer with five weeks of full-day programming. B-LOVE delivers monthly grocery support to the families of children in the afterschool program (B-READY) and summer camp (B-SAFE) — All Saints parishioners contribute up to 50 bags of food, Stop & Shop gift cards, and laundry detergent every month. All Saints also participates in the B-SPARKLE holiday gifts program – over 35 All Saints Families donated about 70 gifts last year for the children of St. Stephen’s programs. And we support the B-SAFE summer camp by supporting the field trip to Canobie Lake, providing lunches for the day (with help from donations of food from Stop and Shop and Wegman’s) and paying for the buses and tickets to Canobie Lake.
This year, the Fun Friday trip to Canobie Lake will cost approximately $6,000. The All Saints Outreach Fund has committed $2,500, and a grant from the Diocese of Massachusetts has contributed $1,100. We need your help to raise $2,400 more.
How to help:
- Donate to the All Saints Outreach Fund. Any gift moves us toward the goal
- Volunteer to join the monthly B-LOVE grocery collection and delivery. Summer collection and delivery dates are: July 8 and August 12
- Volunteer to make lunches and snacks for the Canobie Lake field trip, Friday, July 24 in the All Saints kitchen and/or drive the lunches up to Canobie Lake