Active partners in our community
Building bridges and connecting with our neighbors
St. John’s supports several education, food, and housing programs in the Greater Hartford community.
For more information about St. John’s local community ministries and partnerships, and how you can get involved, contact the parish office. Subscribe to the e-news to get notices about current volunteer opportunities.
THE ST. JOHN’S BLESSING BOX or “little free food pantry” is located on church grounds, in the “Abraham’s Welcome” garden area. People are invited to leave what they can and take what they need. Its location along busy Farmington Avenue means that the Blessing Box gets a lot of use from our neighbors. Ready-to-eat food is especially helpful, and food donations can be put directly into the Blessing Box. In addition, the parish office keeps a supply of basic necessities on hand (toiletries, socks, t-shirts, hats, gloves) for people in need who come to the church looking for help.
LOAVES & FISHES serves a hot meal five days a week at Immanuel Congregational Church (Farmington Avenue and Woodland Street). St. John’s volunteers shop for food, prepare and serve meals every second Wednesday of the month. Volunteers rotate responsibilities for preparing and serving. We also make 200 sandwiches for Loaves & Fishes on one Sunday a month.
THE GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH FOOD PANTRY, in Hartford’s Parkville neighborhood, serves nearly 200 families every week. A St. John’s volunteer delivers nonperishable food to Grace about once a month. Please leave donated food, particularly staples such as pasta, canned fruit and vegetables, soups, shelf-stable milk, rice, beans, peanut butter, and canned meat/fish, in the wagon in the St. John’s narthex.
GRACE ACADEMY is a school for girls from underserved communities in Hartford. St. John’s sponsors a student (covering her tuition, fees, uniform, etc.), and parish volunteers also participate in activities with the students, including a Girl Scout troop, craft workshops, and community service activities.
COVENANT PREP is a school for boys from underserved communities in Hartford. St. John’s provides financial and other support.
TRINITY ACADEMY is a co-educational elementary school housed at Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford. St. John’s provides financial and other support.
CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR KIDS are given to families participating in the Stronger Families, Stronger Futures program, which offers case management, developmental screening, and parenting education for parents/caregivers of children ages birth to 5 years. Each Christmas, St. John’s parishioners provide Christmas gifts and necessities to 60 families participating in this program, or gift cards for the families to purchase items themselves.
ESOL AND CITIZENSHIP CLASSES, run by the Town of West Hartford, take place at St. John’s four days a week during the school year. New immigrants and refugees from all over the world come to St. John’s to learn English and study for their citizenship tests. Besides providing space for these programs in our building, St. John’s provides significant financial support.
JOURNEY HOME has a mission of ending homelessness in the Greater Hartford area. St. John’s volunteers help furnish apartments for people who are transitioning out of homelessness.
