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Last weekend the Mustard Seed hosted “Fair Start” , providing school supplies and running shoes to 600 low-income children returning to school in September. Several members of St. Philip volunteered.

Rob Hosie, Karen Van Rheenen, Tim Davidge and I volunteered on the first day matching kids with running shoes. The young kids are easy. My best match was a little girl who was starting kindergarten in September. She was thrilled to choose a tiny pair of blue sneakers with unicorns on them. When she tried them on and they lit up – wow! You’ve never heard such a squeal of delight. Teenagers can take a little longer to find the right match. At that age children are so concerned about what their peers think and are terrified of being stigmatized. Karen had a challenge with a teenaged boy who desperately ‘needed’ red runners. The first pair he looked at were pretty good and had some red on them but sadly they were the wrong size. The next pair she showed him were pure red, perfect fit, and exactly what he’d been hoping for – success!

We all had great experiences with the kids and afterwards felt good that we helped to make so many kids happy and prepare them for their next year of school. 

Volunteering for this event is great fun! I’d like to encourage parishioners to join us at Fair Start next August or help out this December when the Mustard Seed needs volunteers to help parents pick out Christmas gifts for their children. Last year they offered a huge selection of legos, stuffies, books, puzzles and even scooters. Volunteering requires about 4 hours and is a one-time commitment. Rob always promotes these opportunities at St Philip so if you’re interested stay tuned for the next opportunity in December. Hope to see you there.

 - Jackie Prowse

Photo: Fair Start volunteers Rob Hosie, Tim Davidge, Karen Van Rheenen and Jackie Prowse