Through SSVP, St. Francis spearheads a Back to School program each year to ensure that children start the school year with the supplies they need to succeed.
Campaign for Kids is a Kings County-wide charity that aids under-privileged children and youth. Campaign for Kids was originally run by Community Services; it was started with $200,000 seed money. This charity is well supported with involvement by parishioners who attend both St. Anthony’s (Berwick) and St. Joseph’s (Kentville).
The charity provides $750/year to 14 schools (elementary & middle) for principals to discern need among students. It also provides $2000 bursaries to graduating students at four high schools – one bursary for each high school. Campaign for Kids receives on average two requests per month from service groups for assistance, generally for medical and transportation related expenses and to help send children to summer camps. The charity is focused on helping individuals and families reach a normal standard of living in relation to others.
Parishioners from St. Anthony reach out to four local schools at Christmas and provide Christmas hampers to two families from each school. The school identifies the families who would benefit from this program, called the Angel Tree. The Angel Tree provides food and age/gender appropriate gifts. It is run by a team of eight parishioners. This program helps families who have little left after meeting the cost of housing and utilities to ensure they can celebrate at Christmas.