Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.” | Philippians 4:9
Summer may have just begun, but that doesn’t mean our parish Outreach Committee is taking any days off! On Saturday, August 8, at the North Campus, you are invited to help kick of the next school year at our next Giving from the Heart drive-through donation event as we supply two neighboring Catholic schools with the materials they need to be successful from day one of the new term Volunteers will be gathered from 9 to 11 a.m. to receive items assisting St. Peter Claver and St. Joseph Catholic Schools. Additional needs for local Catholic schools will also be met with participation from our ecumenical partners at Love INC.
With needs for these beneficiaries as big as they are, it is important for our parish to get donated items in as early as they can, especially through our Amazon Wishlist.
Can’t make it to the North Campus on the day of the drive?
Click the image to access our Amazon Wishlist, and have your donation shipped directly to the parish office!
Volunteers from our Loving Hearts ministry, which regularly collaborates with each of these schools through their “Adopt-A-School” program, will be gathered to receive school supplies ahead of the 2026-27 school year. Loving Hearts is also our parish connection to Love INC, which will also assist neighborhood schools with the additional supplies donated through this drive.
Many of you will know that the neighboring St. Peter Claver School (corner of Scott St. and Governor St.) was founded as a mission of the Jesuit Fathers of Sacred Heart in 1893. The school is the oldest continuously operating historically black grade school in Florida. The school remains committed to providing a quality education in a safe and nurturing environment for preschoolers through eighth grade in a microschool setting, with deliberately small class sizes to maximize instructional attention.
St. Joseph Catholic School in West Tampa, near McFarlane Park and only a few blocks south of Raymond James Stadium, was founded just a few years after St. Peter Claver School (1896) by the Diocese of St. Augustine, with a longstanding connection to the Salesian Sisters. Many of the families whose children attend St. Joseph’s are underserved in our community and need assistance with basic needs.
Items of greatest need include: Backpacks | Plastic Folders w/Pockets | #2 Pencils | Crayons (24ct.) | Ballpoint Pens | Paint Brushes (Various Sizes) | Binder Clips (Various Sizes) | Post-It Notes | Assorted Construction Paper | Washable Markers | Elmer’s Liquid Glue | Elmer’s Glue Sticks | 3”x5” Index Cards | Colored Pencils | Notebook paper (Either Rule) | Sanitizing Wipes & Spray | Scotch Tape | Facial Tissues | Paper Towels | Dry-Erase Markers & Erasers | Legal Pads | Kindergarten/Primary Composition Books | Safety Scissors | Painting Canvases | Command Strips | Baby Wipes | Hand Sanitizer | Grocery Gift Cards (Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, Publix) | Bedding | Blankets | Bath Towels | Laundry & Dish Detergent | Toothbrushes | Toothpaste | Feminine Hygiene Products | Bath Soap & Lotion | Non-perishables, including Beans, Rice, Canned Fruits or Vegetables, Boxed Dinners/Pasta/Macaroni
If you need some inspiration for size or number related to the items of need listed above, please view the Amazon Wishlist.
We want to supply the teachers, students, and families of both St. Peter Claver and St. Joseph Schools with the materials they need to be successful from day one of this coming school year. As always, your generosity is greatly appreciated.
