The Social Justice Ministry at St. Anthony Catholic Parish is sponsoring an easy, family oriented bike ride (less than 10 miles) around the Pocket in memory of Deacon Mike Crowley, an avid cyclist who died on March 18, 2012. The ride will also be a fundraiser for the SSIP (South Sacramento Interfaith Partnership) Food Locker. The bike ride will begin at 9 a.m. and start and end at St. Anthony Parish, 660 Florin Rd.

Deacon Mike served the St. Anthony Parish community from his ordination in 1996 until his death last March. He cared deeply about those who suffered hunger and volunteered many hours at the food locker. He also loved biking and almost never used a car to move around Sacramento.

The ride will not only honor Mike’s life, it will raise money for the SSIP Food Locker. To contribute, bring a check made out to SSIP when you come to the ride. If you cannot ride, but would like to donate, you can bring a check by to the parish or send the check to:

SSIP Food Locker
Bethany Presbyterian Church
5625 24th Street
Sacramento, CA 95822

Please indicate on the check that it is in memory of Deacon Mike Crowley

Canned goods were gathered by PACT (Pocket Area Churches Together) on May 15 to supply local food closets that serve South Sacramento residents who are in need during these tough times. Future projects to help neighbors in need are planned. / Photo iStockphoto

A new emerging ecumenical organization calling itself Pocket Area Churches Together (PACT) made quite a dent on hunger on Sunday, May 15. Consisting of members of Faith Presbyterian, Riverside Wesleyan, and St. Anthony Catholic churches, the fledgling organization brought together more than 85 volunteers to go door-to-door asking residents for canned goods to feed the hungry.

“Hunger never takes a day off,” said Frank Allen to the volunteers as they formed teams to go door to door. “Thousands of needy families in South Sacramento are turning to the Food Locker operated by the South Sacramento Interfaith Partnership for food. A year ago the Locker was providing needed nutrition for 3,000 families per month. Now that number has climbed to nearly 6,000 families. What this means is that the Food Locker needs a lot more canned goods to meet the increasing needs.”

Most of the food collected on Sunday went to the South Sacramento Interfaith Partnership (SSIP).

The volunteers formed teams of five to four walkers and one driver. They were assigned to go to about 100 Pocket area homes to share what the churches are doing and to offer people an opportunity to make a donation. The results were phenomenal. According to the director of the food locker, more than 1,600 pounds of food worth an estimated $3,000 was delivered on Monday morning and was already being used to feed hungry families.

What’s more, the volunteers from three Pocket area churches were thrilled with the results.

“Not only did we collect a lot of food for needy families, we also had a wonderful opportunity to meet and work with members of our neighboring congregations,” said John Stockton, a leader from Riverside Wesleyan. “God’s spirit was definitely with us as we prayed together, worked together and then celebrated by sharing a meal together. We look forward to doing more projects together in the near future.”

“The pastors of these churches have been meeting together for years,” said Jeff Chapman, pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church. “A few months ago, we decided it was time to turn our words and good intentions into joint action. PACT and this effort to feed the hungry was a first, excellent step.”

“We are gathering together as Christian communities of faith for the greater good of our whole community,” added Mike Higley, pastor of Riverside Wesleyan. “We believe we can do a lot more good together than separately. We’ve made a ‘pact’ to do just that.”