Traditionally each year at Christmas time, the parishioners at St. Margaret Parish provide countless local families and individuals in need with thoughtful gifts and food to help ensure that their Christmas is special.
This year, with the restrictions and changes in place due to the pandemic, our help is needed more than ever, but the form of giving needs to be different.
Each of the organizations that we typically support are requesting cash donations from our parishioners this year which in turn will be distributed to the families in the form of tuition assistance or specific store gift cards.
Unfortunately, no gifts or food items can be accepted this year.

Please see below to learn about the 4 ministries of our parish who are requesting donations during this year’s Christmas Season of Giving and how you can participate.

For the past 40 years, St. Margaret’s parishioners have insured that Christmas celebration for families at St. Martin de Porres Parish in New Haven included presents under their tree. As with so many other things that we face today, this program has to pivot this year in reaction to the current health risk. Based on feedback from both parishes, we are not able to extend the offering of presents this year.
But the need is still there. So here is the pivot!
We have 100 families with an average of 4 members. We would like to make sure that they all have plenty of food to celebrate Christmas with their family. Our goal is to raise $10,000 to buy grocery gift cards that can be given to each family. So we are asking all of you to consider sending a check equal to (or maybe a little more) what you would spend if you were buying gifts for a family. If we all do that – we will exceed our goal and in a small way help to bring Christmas cheer in a year where we all can use a ‘little Christmas right now!”
This program is facilitated by Helen and Tom Burland, Elizabeth and Art DeCillis, Julie and Hugh O’Toole.

Form of support being requested from parishioners:
1. Decide on the amount of your donation.
2. Send your monetary donation (in the form of a check made out to St. Margaret Church) to the Parish Center by Friday, December 4th, 2020.
3. Please be sure to include in the memo of your check “St. Martin de Porres”.
4. You donation will in turn be given to one or more families in the form of gift cards to Stop and Shop.

All Saints Catholic Academy (ASCA), formerly St Rose and St Francis School, is now an integration of 5 New Haven Catholic schools, including St Rose and St Francis. This year we have 30 families from ASCA who are in need of our help.

Sister Diane, ASCA’s new Principal, has requested that this year’s Gift Giving approach be altered, recognizing the logistic difficulties that the virus presents. We hope to return to our traditional gift giving approach in 2021.

We all know that the family profiles that have been distributed through the years are of families that are underprivileged. This year when a family profile is selected by a St Margaret parishioner, it has been requested by Sr Diane that a monetary donation be made to help that family with its tuition responsibility to ASCA.

Form of support being requested by parishioners:

1. Click here to select one or more of the ASCA family profiles that you would like to support.
2. Send your monetary donation (in the form of a check made out to St. Margaret Church) to the parish office by Friday, December 4th, 2020.
3. Please be sure to include in the memo of your check: ASCA family giving program and the number of your family profile.
4. The monies will be sent to Sr. Diane, Principal of ASCA, who will apply your donation directly to the tuition cost for your selected family. This will allow the family to free up monies to purchase gifts for Christmas.

Little Miracles is a ministry started in 1996 to help women who, although financially or emotionally fragile, would choose life for their unborn child. We provide diapers, wipes, clothing, food, formula, baby furniture, car seats, and various accessories, as well as emotional support. Everything we give away to others has been donated to us by very generous parishioners or members of our community. We stay in touch with these moms until they are in a better place.
This ministry is led by a group of volunteers at St. Margaret and St. George parishes.

Form of support being requested by parishioners:
1. Please decide on a monetary donation and send this amount (in the form of a check made out to St. Margaret Church) to the parish office by Friday, December 4, 2020.
2. Please be sure to include in the memo of your check “Little Miracles” .
3. Your donation will in turn will be given directly to the family in the form of cash or a Walmart Gift Card.

MCS Inc is An all-volunteer nonprofit 501©(3) organization providing services and assistance to Madison residents since 1930. 100% of funding is from private donations, without any town, state or federal funding. We provide Madison clients with 3 meals for 3 days each time they visit. We offer non-perishable items along with fresh produce, eggs and dairy. Facilitated by Mary Ann Franciscielli

Form of Donation being requested:
1. Decide on an amount that you would like to provide and send to the parish center (in the form of a check made out to St. Margaret Church) by Friday, December 4,2020.
2.Please be sure to include in the memo of your check “Madison Food Pantry”.
3. All donations will be used to purchase gift cards for local families in need during the Christmas season.