Loaves and Fishes Food Program
543 Cherokee Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 5776330
(The service outreach of the Orthodox Christian Churches of Atlanta)

November 21, 2006
The Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Orthodox Community in Atlanta:

Greetings to all on this wonderful feast of the Mother of God. I am writing to ask for your help with the Loaves and Fishes Program for the Christmas Program for Needy Families, the Christmas Day Dinner for the Homeless, and for the upcoming new year. With the blessing of our local bishop, Metropolitan Alexios, The Loaves and Fishes Program is our joint Orthodox Outreach to the poor of Atlanta. I am happy to say that the first monetary donation of this season has come from our local Orthodox Clergy association.

We need help in the following ways:

1. Our Christmas Program for the Needy families of Atlanta. We ask our churches and individual families to collect new toys, hams and turkeys, warm coats and good clothing, and money for the many needy families and their children whom we give a food basket and toys to on Saturday, December 23. There is always such a pressing need and so many families who have so very little. We want to make their Christmas’s a little brighter!!! We hope to receive everything by Wednesday, December 20th to get the baskets and toy room ready.

2. Our Christmas Day meal. We come to St. John the Wonderworker Orthodox Church around 10Am to prepare a lovely meal for the Homeless with all the trimmings. Last year Metropolitan and many local priests helped serve the meal. We serve at noon, and it is an absolutely lovely way to spend some of your Christmas Day. In addition to the meal, we like to give the men and women stocking caps and gloves that you can help with as well if you get us a quantity of them.

3. We also would greatly appreciate any money that is donated to our program. The money that you give goes to pay a nominal fee to our workers who help every day, for the many individual needs of the poor, for various food supplies we buy in addition to what is donated, and to improve the facility. We need to enlarge our kitchen so that we can serve the men more hot meals. We could really use your help with this.

Thank you very much for your help.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Jacob Myers