Outreach

Union Presbyterian Church supports our neighbors by partnering with a variety of organizations to help people locally and around the world.

Union Street Place Homeless Shelter

Church members packed more than 100 hygiene kits for the residents at Union Street Place. Each gallon Ziploc bag contained washcloths, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, and other hygiene products.

Union Street Place, run by Partners for Housing, provides emergency shelter and transitional housing for homeless families and women, along with case management and staff support to help families get back on their feet.

We support Union Street Place with occasional work days and collecting gifts for the homeless families and children for special occasions.

Children’s Weekend Food Program

The Children’s Weekend Food Program cares for hungry St. Peter schoolchildren by providing nutritious food on weekends and non-school days, when the school’s free and reduced price lunches are unavailable.

We partner with the CWFP by sponsoring one week of food deliveries and volunteering to pack and deliver that week’s food packages.

The Kitchen

The Kitchen is a free community meal served every Monday night in St. Peter. It provides a healthy meal, a warm, welcoming environment, and an opportunity to build community for anyone from the St. Peter area. All are welcome.

A variety of local organizations and volunteers take turns serving the meal; volunteers from Union prepare and serve the meal several times a year. The meal is held Mondays at 5:00 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church.

Saint Peter Area Food Shelf

We gather food and cash donations to support the Saint Peter Area Food Shelf each year during their March fund drive.

Circle of Welcome: Afghan Refugee Support

The Circle of Welcome program supports the successful integration of refugee families in the U.S. by engaging with and walking alongside refugee families in service, friendship, and as advocates.

Union partners with two other local congregations to support one Afghan refugee family who have recently settled in Minnesota.

Seeds of Hope: Summer Camp for Foster and At-Risk Youth

Seeds of Hope (formerly Royal Family Kids Mankato) is a week-long summer camp for foster kids and children in the social services system in the Mankato area. We partner with Seeds of Hope each summer to host a giant birthday party for all of the campers — some of whom have never had a birthday party — including cake, decorations, and gifts for each camper. Campers may have been abused, neglected, or abandoned in the past, but we want each child to feel loved, valued, and celebrated.

Friends Of Learning Back to School Project

Photo of a poster requesting donation of school supplies for Friends of Learning.

Friends of Learning is a nonprofit that provides school supplies to students in St. Peter and rural Nicollet County. The group is a collaboration between the St. Peter Lions Club, St. Peter Kiwanis, Nicollet County, and the Salvation Army.

Every summer, we collect donations of school supplies to help our local students as they return to school in the fall.

Prairie Ridge Park, Saint Peter

We have adopted the Prairie Ridge Park in Saint Peter and volunteer to keep it clean.

Presbyterian Special Offerings

We also collect donations for several of the PC(USA) denomination’s church-wide special offerings, which help share Christ’s love with millions of people around the world.

One Great Hour of Sharing: Provides relief to those affected by catastrophic events, gives sustainable food resources to the hungry, and changes the structures that perpetuate poverty, oppression, and injustice.
Peace & Global Witness Offering: Supports peacemaking locally and around the world, including reconciliation work in South Sudan, international advocacy at the UN, a peace camp for kids in New Jersey, and more.
Christmas Joy Offering: Provides assistance to needy current and retired church workers and develops future leaders at Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color.