Upstate New York Spirituality in Action

Assisi in Albany

Assisi in Albany assists underprivileged residents of Albany’s inner city in finding and keeping good jobs. Program participants are provided job counseling, resume preparation, interview, and job readiness training. They are also helped with job placement and given mentor support for the first year on the job. Members assist Assisi’s Executive Director in pin pointing prospective employers; fund raise for the project; and make suggestions for program expansions.

Green Haven Prison Catholic Bible Class

Two Upstate New York Area members host a class for inmates at NYS maximum security prison twice a month. Classes are generally modeled on Church year and seasons, but also covers lessons from the Catechism, biographies of saints & priests who suffered imprisonment, like Cardinal Kung, Walter Ciszek, Fr. Capuan, and Maximilian Kolbe and Catholic literature, like Dante and Divine Comedy.
Since 2013

Mercy House Picnic

Each summer, several members of the Upstate New York Area prepare and serve a picnic supper for 20-22 woman and children temporarily living in a women’s homeless shelter as well as the shelter staff. Members set up for the picnic at the Shelter, prepare and cook food purchased by the Area, converse with residents and Shelter staff, and clean up after supper. Members also purchase and donate toiletries and diapers to be given to the residents.
Since 2012

Quest for Grace Changeover

Quest for Grace Grace provides clothing and other necessities for foster children living in the Capital District region of New York State. Foster parents are referred to Quest by child and family service agencies, the police and other organizations. The majority of these children are at risk and some are removed from abusive situations on an emergency basis and require special attention. Approximately 10 members of the Upstate New York Area assist in Quest’s seasonal changeover of clothing, shoes etc. each spring and fall. Members go to Quest’s “retail shop” to remove items from shelves, pack and put them away and then unpack, sort, hang or place on shelves clothing for the upcoming season.

Sister Maureen Joyce Food Pantry

Seven Knights, Dames, and Auxiliary bring donated bakery products, from Au Bon Pain Bakery in Empire State Plaza, to the Sister Maureen Joyce Center (SMJC) Food Pantry, serving residents in a low income neighborhood of Albany. The Area members also supply toilet paper to the food pantry to give to individuals seeking assistance there.

The Welcome Table

Together with family and friends, Knights, Dames, and Auxiliary members provide, prepare and serve lunch at a soup kitchen, the Welcome Table, for approximately 150-200 residents of the South end neighborhood of Albany. Members welcome luncheon guests on their arrival, set tables, inform guests of the day’s menu choices, take the guests orders for lunch, serve lunch items that have been purchased or made by members. After lunch, members clean tables and chairs, wash dishes, and otherwise handle clean up.