Caroling at homeless shelters begins at 7:00 PM Friday, December 9, 2022 at UU St. Pete Church on Mirror Lake
Still No Room in the Inn: Having the Christmas she never had
Friends,
A few years back, one of the residents at the St. Petersburg Free Clinic Baldwin Women’s Residence came to the director of the residence after Still… No Room in the Inn Christmas carolers had made our annual visit. It was a spirited, lively time of singing, good wishes, and cookies.
“I’ve always wanted to have a Christmas like that,” she told the director, “but I never had one. Now, I have.”
Everyone enjoys Still No Room in the Inn. Last year, two women at the Women’s Residence greeted us dressed as Santa and an elf (above, right).
We hope you are planning to join us. We will send a final schedule of stops next week. Here are current details about this year’s caroling:
• Still… No Room in the Inn caroling at homeless shelters and other spots in downtown St. Petersburg will be from 7:00-9:00 PM on Friday, December 9.
• We begin and end at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 100 Mirror Lake Drive in St. Petersburg, concluding the evening with cookies and hot chocolate.
• Please invite friends, family, co-workers, and groups. Some carolers also bring their dogs!
• A “blister bus” will be available for those who cannot walk the route or who need assistance, and we will provide carol lyrics.
“Still No Room in the Inn” takes its name from the Christmas story. Jesus of Nazareth was born as a homeless refugee and placed in an animal’s feeding trough because there was “no room in the inn” for him and his family. The caroling is a reminder that two thousand years after the first Christmas there is “still no room in the inn” for many people in St. Petersburg.
Please remember you or your group can bring items such as toiletries, gift cards, and clothing to the places we carol. A list with suggested items and contact information is below.
The Celebrate Outreach Saturday morning breakfast volunteers and supporters served an average of 121 bagged breakfasts and lunches every Saturday in November from Praise the Lord Outreach Ministries, 900 MLK Street South, St. Petersburg FL 33705. Our highest number was 148, which we served on November 12.
Please don’t forget Celebrate Outreach’s other annual event during the holiday season:
On Friday, December 16 at 4:30 PM the community will gather at the Homeless Persons’ Memorial Service to honor people who died in Pinellas County in 2022 while experiencing homelessness. For some who died and their friends, this will be the only service marking their passing.
This fifteenth annual interfaith observance is Celebrate Outreach’s local observance of National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 100 Mirror Lake Drive in St. Petersburg. The powerful hour-long service will include reading the names of those who died, selections from sacred scriptures, singing, and music played on bagpipes. The usual Friday Night Sunset Supper bagged to-go dinner will follow the service.
For more information, or to volunteer, contact Sabine von Aulock at sabine@celebrateoutreach.org
Thanks to everyone who continues to support the breakfast. We serve from Praise the Lord Outreach Ministries, 900 MLK Street South, St. Petersburg FL 33705. Volunteers arrive at 7:30 AM and we finish serving by 9:30. Remember to visit our Celebrate Outreach Facebook page for updates, and contact us for ways to help offsite, or to join our merry company on Saturday mornings!
Debbie Bussinger Canning
(727) 612-9676 or canningd58@yahoo.com
John Stewart
(727) 492-1590 or sjstew@gte.net
Contact information for our caroling stops
Please contact the institution individually to learn what you can donate.
Cara House
Independent living apartments for people with mental health issues, addiction recovery, autism, and other challenges
Eight women and 32 men
toiletries, as well as underwear and socks
Contact: Carolyn Berlanti
(727) 823-5900
St. Petersburg Free Clinic Baldwin Women’s Residence
50-bed sober living recovery residence for single homeless women
gift cards, hair care products, toiletries, washcloths and towels, clothing, household items
Contact: Erica Slayton at eslayton@thespfc.orgCall or text (727) 758-1792
Lutheran Apartments Residents Association
62+-year-old residents
toiletries, cleaning supplies, general items
Contact: Diane Culpepper at dculpepper754@gmail.com