Mission
Community Outreach
We strive to understand and express the mission of our parish family through the word of the prophet Micah:
“To do justice, love mercy and to walk humbly with our God”;
and the words of the Prophet Isaiah, that Jesus used to inaugurate his own ministry:
“To bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lords’ year of favor”.
We believe that authentic Christian spirituality must be grounded in acts of loving service to those who are made to live on the margins of society, and that we grow in the life of the Spirit as individual believers and as a community of faith by living the priorities of the kingdom of God. A second offering is taken each Sunday to help fund our Outreach Programs and activities. An outreach committee, chaired by our Deacon, meets several times a year to make decisions with regard to the distribution of available funds.
Serving the unhoused
For over two decades — when there is 5th Wednesday of the month (i.e. 4-5 times a year) — St. Margaret’s faith family has met at the Family Partnership Building in Poughkeepsie to prepare a meal for nearly 300 individuals. Parishioners take the responsibility for planning the menu and purchasing the food.
Hyde Park Food Pantry
Over twenty five years ago, St Margaret’s participated in founding the Hyde Park Food Pantry. Members of our congregation collect non-perishable items to help stock the pantry for those needing assistance. It is now housed in the old convent on the grounds of Regina Coeli Catholic Church in Hyde Park.
Food is distributed on a weekly basis.
Holiday Baskets
Our parish provides food baskets to approximately five families each Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Parishioners shop for the necessary items and are responsible for putting the baskets together and connecting with the families in need.
Global Outreach
Each year, the parish directs some funds to global human needs through Episcopal Relief and Development. In years past, sizable contributions were made to the Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts; more recently donations were collected for the earthquake in Haiti and the war in Ukraine.
If you are interested in participating in any of these outreach efforts, or would like to learn more about them, please feel free to contact us.
Join us
Interested in joining our mission to help local and global communities?
St. Margaret’s hosts community drives and events. Follow the link below to learn more and stay up to date on the happenings at the church.