Parish Social Ministry provides several different community food assistance initiatives from the Parish Hall across the street from 1 Church St, Jay.  

We provide a 24/7 access “Blessing Box” facing the street in front of the building, which provides food for those who need it, and an opportunity to donate for those who have the means.  Largely a community supported endeavor, the Blessing Box is frequently filled with shelf stable groceries from members of the community, and is monitored and managed by our volunteers.  A similar box is located outside the Nutrition Center at St. Joseph Parish in Farmington.

We prepare and serve approximately 80 takeout and/or dine meals in every first and third Saturday of the month from 4:30 to 6:00 PM. Meals are prepared safely in our on-site state inspected kitchen and distributed on a first-come first-serve basis.  

Leftover meals are made available in a self-serve refrigerator just inside the entryway of the hall building, which is unlocked between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.  The refrigerator is stocked with other perishable food items, to complement the non-perishable items offered outside in the Blessing Box.

This ministry is dinsinct from the Tri-Town Ministerial Association Food Pantry, which we house in our building.  We are grateful to be working synergistically with the Tri-Town Food Pantry to feed the hungry in the Tri-Town area.

We welcome and encourage volunteers who would like to participate in the preparation, packaging and distribution of the weekly takeout meals.  For volunteer information, or to make a donation, please call Dan Allen at 897-2173 ext. 1203 or email at daniel.allen@portlanddiocese.org.