Once again we are proud to say that our collection for Haiti was much appreciated and successful. With help of the 7th grade Girl Scouts troop, the items were packed into 5-gallon buckets, which where donated from local hardware stores. We collected enough personal care items to fill 12 buckets and 4 grocery bags full of supplies.  Brothers Brother was so grateful for our donation. They told us that our donations would be sent to Haiti on the next shipment, which would most likely be in the next week. Once again thank you for all your support.

2,250 pairs shoes . . . over 5 years . . . Wow! That’s a whole lot of sole!

This November, we collected 250 pairs of shoes for Fr. Ralph Beiting, Catholic missionary priest for 59 years in Eastern Kentucky’s poorest mountain regions. In addition, this November we added 300 beautiful coats to our shipment of shoes, thanks to your generosity. Fr. Beiting comes to St. Bede’s in Pt. Breeze every Thanksgiving weekend to speak about his people and express his continued thanks. He trucks donations of clothes, shoes, toys, and small appliances to Kentucky the week of Thanksgiving. Kudos to you once again for giving some heartfelt sole and warmth to the needy of Appalachia.

The Charitable Committee thanks St. Teresa Families for donating 2 van-loads of new and gently-used toys to Genesis of Pittsburgh in Bellevue. Genesis—a maternity care, adoption, foster care, and social service agency that provides life-affirming support for women and families—continues to be in urgent need of toys for families who are served through its outreach program, as requests for services have tripled this year. St. Teresa School received the following note from GENESIS: “Dear Students of St. Teresa, Thank you so much for the wonderful donation of toys for our children and moms at Genesis. You will be making a wonderful Christmas for so many children who would have had next to nothing without your help. I hope your holiday season is as wonderful as you! God bless!”

In October, St. Teresa School generously collected and donated items for the St. Cyril's Parish Food Bank. Thanks to our efforts, they were able to provide 62 families with groceries for that month. In addition, enough supplies were collected to help them prepare for the November food bank distribution. Thank you for such a wonderful response!

A big thank you to the 29 students who helped at the parish Oaxaca Mission brunch by clearing tables and collecting donations. You all did a great job! A special thank you goes to Mrs. Mueller for recruiting the volunteers!

The Red Door Candy collection after Halloween was once again very successful. Your generosity of candy filled more than 2 grocery carts and many boxes. These treats are included in the daily lunches handed out to the recipients of the Red Door Lunch Program at St. Mary of Mercy Church in Downtown Pittsburgh. All donations were greatly appreciated.

The Charitable Committee thanks the St. Teresa Family for your support of the Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh (DSAP) Buddy Walk on October 17. Donations totaling $197.00 will enable the DSAP to support individuals with Down syndrome and their families. The Buddy Walk at Hartwood Acres and in many cities throughout the country served to promote awareness and inclusion for people with Down syndrome and to raise funds for education, research, and advocacy programs. Thank you for being a "Buddy" to individuals with Down syndrome and their families.