Reach out and make a difference...   Keep our deployed military personnel in your prayers and be mindful of the risks they endure on our behalf. Personal notes of acknowledgement and support are especially valued by the service men and women.  St. Jude's note cards and envelopes are on the Outreach desk in the Parish Hall. Return your notes to the donation box to be added to the monthly shipments. Donations are aways welcome.  See the list below for items that are regularly sent. Pack boxes on the first Thursday of the month, 9am in the Parish Hall.  All are welcome to come and help out.

Through its Veterans Group, led by Mike McNutt, the Saint Jude's parish community has been a part of Adopt-a-Chaplain outreach program since 2010. Multiple boxes are shipped monthly to one, or sometimes two military Chaplains, to help them in the work they do to support service personnel deployed in the most difficult of circumstances. Direct contact with the chaplains through email enables St. Jude's to respond to changing needs and specific requests.

St. Jude's effort has grown as part from of Adopt-a-Chaplain a program begun in Santa Clara County, but now national, that provides prayer and spiritual support for the Chaplains themselves as well as tangible support to their ministries and the people they serve.

Currently we are supporting Lieutenant Commander Chaplain Mark Tews serving with a Marine Recon Unit in Delaram, Afghanistan. 

Previously we supported Major Sarah Shirley, an Episcopal chaplain at Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. She stressed the importance of prayer cards and messages for the men and women she served in the face of the daunting circumstances of the hospital.  Lieutenant Commander Michael Pumphrey, USN, was another helped by St. Jude's while deployed in Afghanistan, and 45% of those he served were women.

Care Packages

The chaplains have given us a "shopping list" of most frequently requested items.

Food

Energy bars and power bars
Beef Jerky (big request)
Crystal Light and powder mixes
Individually wrapped candies

Toiletries

Hotel-size toiletries
Chapstick and sunscreen
Feminine products
Shoe insoles and GoldBond powder

Entertainment

Music CDs of all varieties
DVD movies (comedies and recent releases)
X-Box and Playstation cartridges

Other

Misters (anything to cut the heat!)
Air fresheners (no aerosol)
Beany Babies and small stuffed animals
School supplies for local children