Blessing Box
The St. Francis Episcopal Church Blessing Box provides food assistance to our neighbors in need. The Blessing Box is located on the far side of the church parking lot. Anyone in need of food can drive up and help themselves. The Blessing Box is filled every day of the week by a church volunteer. On occasion, ‘good Samaritans’ from the community place food in the Blessing Box.
Church volunteers fill the Blessing Box daily. They make sure the box is clean and the food is in good condition and not spoiled.
Most of the food is provided through donations by a children's health center in Austin. The food is picked up by two church members about every 6 weeks. In addition, St. Francis designates the 2nd Sunday of each month as Blessing Box Sunday. Church members bring food to the Sunday service to keep the pantry stocked.
St. Francis Piece Makers: A Quilt Ministry
Started in June 2024, the "St. Francis Piece Makers" make twin-size quilts for "Sleep in Heavenly Peace" (SHP), an organization in the Brazos Valley that makes bunk beds for children ages 4-17 who do not have a bed of their own. They also make baby-size quilts for "Aggieland Pregnancy Outreach” and "TLC" quilts (lap-size quilts) on request for those fighting illness or post-surgery. They typically meet on the 4th Saturday of the month for lunch, either at St. Francis or at a restaurant, for fellowship, planning, show-and-tell, and sewing (optional). Donations of cotton quilting fabric, quilt batting, and/or twin-size sheet sets are appreciated. The St. Francis Piece Makers is open to anyone who likes to use a needle and thread or sewing machine, and to those who have a desire to learn to do so.
Chair Yoga
Chair Yoga is a modified version of Yoga poses, stretches, and movements, paired with breath and focus, performed within the confines of a chair. The meaning of Yoga is yoking body, mind, and spirit. An article from John Hopkins University summarizes 9 benefits of yoga. These benefits include musculoskeletal improvements, heart health, reducing pain, reducing anxiety, and improving overall wellness.
The class runs 45 minutes and ends in a quiet period of about 2 minutes of silent rest.
A Hopeful Harvest Food Pantry
One of the organizations working to eliminate hunger in Brazos County is A Hopeful Harvest Food Pantry. This pantry is a spin-off of the Brazos Mobile Food Pantry that distributed food at The Boys and Girls Club in Bryan each month. A Hopeful Harvest began distributing food in May 2025.
A Hopeful Harvest is a brick-and-mortar location to serve those facing food insecurity. It is a 501c3 organization and receives donations and grants from various sources. They need energetic people interested in helping with this endeavor – especially some extroverts who can get us introverts more “out there”.