Our Parish Outreach consists of compassionate and caring volunteers who are concerned with providing support and services to all in need.  Our Parish Outreach coordinates a variety of Parish Social Ministry programs, including ones listed elsewhere on this site.

Programs offered through Parish Social Ministry are opened to all, regardless of faith. All are free of charge and advanced registration is required. For more information or to register, please give us a call.

Contact Information:

Phone: 631-754-9045

Fax: 631-754-0824

E-mail: parishoutreach@olqmparish.org

From the Spring 2009 Edition of Clippings Magazine

by Linda May

Have you ever wondered what goes on at Parish Outreach? If you’re like me, I'd always assumed that "The Outreach" was synonymous with “The Pantry.” I didn’t discover, until I became an Outreach volunteer, how wrong I had been! So much goes on here that impacts so many parishioners—and the local community as well. Yet, since so much of the work is bound by confidentiality, most of us don’t realize how much help is given.

Marilyn Borghard

The Outreach (or Parish Social Ministry) was started in 1987 when Fr. Colligan asked Marilyn Borghard to begin an outreach program. They had their humble beginnings in a space that now houses the food pantry; slowly, the program grew, and the Outreach outgrew their space. In 2000, the present facility, The Msgr. Joseph F. Colligan Parish Center, was dedicated.

The Outreach is currently served by a Coordinator, Marilyn Borghard, and a secretary Angela Sangirardi. They are assisted by a staff of ten core volunteers who have been trained by the Diocese. They each work one day a week. The background of these volunteers is varied; there is a former business owner, a teacher, a nurse, a school superintendent’s secretary, a diocesan bishop’s staff member and several skilled businesswomen. Together they pool their various talents to help the OLQM Community.

"Telephone Reassurance" is one of the least heralded and yet most valuable of Outreach services. Each day, a volunteer will contact elderly parishioners, see if they need anything and just check to see if they’re OK. Once, a parishioner didn’t sound quite right—the volunteer and the Outreach secretary went to her home and discovered that she had fallen. Medical attention was summoned and a potentially tragic situation was averted.

The Outreach also coordinates, under the direction of Dolores Bishop, home and hospital Eucharistic ministers. The parish currently brings Communion to over 20 homebound parishioners, patients at Huntington Hospital and the Carillon Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Parishioners also bring Communion to the Northport Veterans Hospital, directed by Frank LaBarbara.

The Employment Network is one of the most successful and renowned of all our ministries. As of 2009, 3,000 job seekers have been helped. The program, developed and nurtured by Frank LaBarbara, Ed Dwyer, Jim Hartnett, Marilyn Borghard and a staff of skilled employment specialists, assists those seeking employment. The program runs three times a year with six sessions. The various sessions cover networking, resume writing, interviewing techniques and personal skills and strengths. The next session will begin February 23, 2009.

Angela Sangirardi

The HiHi program is alive and well at OLQM. We continue to be a service site every other Saturday night. We provide a warm meal and a warm place to stay during these cold winter nights for Huntington’s less fortunate. Each year the HiHi program expands and other serviced are added, such as English as a Second Language and medical and dental screening services.

Are you a senior who no longer drives? Do you need a ride to a doctor’s appointment, physical therapy or would like to attend Mass? Would you enjoy a luncheon at the Huntington Senior Center? Arranging transportation is another service provided by the Outreach.

Finally, there is the pantry. Despite these troubling economic times, our pantry, unlike so many others on Long Island, is relatively full. We are servicing more people than ever - the traffic at the Outreach grows daily, as more and more people lose their jobs. This year’s Christmas drive was one of our most successful. Thanks to the incredible generosity of OLQM parishioners, many, many families enjoyed a holiday feast and presents under the tree!

There are many other ministries coordinated by the Outreach. The Elizabeth Ministry, the Intercessory Prayer Ministry, Moving On and the Ministry of Loving Hands, plus Bag Sunday combines the efforts of Parish Outreach and St. Vincent DePaul, are just some of the active ministries serving your parish. There is also a very active Bereavement Ministry as well as the Ministry of Consolation. These will be dealt with in depth in a future issue of Clippings.

Linda May

Despite the fact that the Outreach’s staff hours have been cut, they continue to serve our parishioners and the Huntington community. If you feel that you have any particular skill or would just like to serve in some capacity, Marilyn and her staff would love to speak to you. Please contact parishoutreach@olqmparish.org or 631-754-9045.