<![CDATA[St. Luke's Mission of Mercy - Mailings]]>Mon, 18 May 2026 15:16:59 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[Education Drive Letter]]>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:17:23 GMThttps://www.stlukesmissionofmercy.org/mailings/education-drive-letterOur Lady of Hope Child Services
PO Box 1094
Buffalo, NY 14215
 
Dear Friends and Supporters of the OLH Community,
 
     It's been a blessed year here at St. Luke's. The students of Our Lady of Hope Home School continue to thrive both academically and spiritually. Our younger students were able to go apple picking, ice skating and enjoyed visiting the Aquarium, Science Museum and Museum of Play in Rochester.  These students also raised $1,000.00 for our school by making and selling Buffalo Bills bracelets at Queen City Vintage on Elmwood Avenue!
 
     Our 6,7 and 8th graders have been blessed to have a “School on Wheels”.  It has enabled them to spend time in NYC, Washington DC, West Point, Cleveland and various sites within the beautiful city of Buffalo. They ventured through the cities learning about their history, visiting memorials and museums, and attending Masses at beautiful churches.
 
     Sometimes, hearing the students speak about Our Lady of Hope is more powerful than anything I could write, so here are two quotes from last year’s graduating class:
  • "This school is more than just a regular school; for me, it was a safe place."-Elona, Our Lady of Hope 8th Grader, 2025 (currently attends St. Mary’s in Lancaster)
  • "Without you I would not have gotten the education to prepare me for high school and life in general. I would probably be in a foster home. And to my fellow graduates: Study hard! Work hard and always put God first!"-Trevor, Our Lady of Hope 8th Grader, 2025 (currently attends St. Mary’s in Lancaster)
 
     None of this would be possible without God, you, your prayers and generous donations.  The continued support from our beloved community has allowed us to continue educating the children of St. Luke's through adulthood. This is our mission! To provide a Christ centered education, opportunities to allow them to dream, and ways to make those dreams a reality. All of this to help break the cycle of poverty on the East Side of Buffalo.
 
     We still need you and here are a few ways that you can help:   
  • A check made out to Madonna of the Streets, Inc. and put in the self-addressed stamped envelope.
  • Venmo – Madonna of the Streets, Inc. Please enter Educational Program in the “What is this for” box.
  • Donate directly at www.stlukesmissionofmercy.org through PayPal or credit/debit card.            Please use the field “special instructions regarding the donation” to advise that it is to be used for the Educational Program.
 
     Each one of you is a blessing to us and your gift is truly making a difference in the lives of our St. Luke's families. So, from the bottom of my heart, our children and from all those who teach them... THANK YOU! 
 
     May God bless you with His grace and provide you with an abundance of peace, joy and good health.
 
     Sincerely,

     Dennis Gilhooley, Interim Director, St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy
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]]><![CDATA[Lenten Alms Giving Letter]]>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.stlukesmissionofmercy.org/mailings/lenten-alms-giving-letter​Lent 2026
 
Dear Friends in Christ,
 
Thank you so much for your ongoing financial contributions, prayers for our missionaries and volunteer support for our community. I am writing to you today because you are an important and faithful member of the St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy family, and we need your help to continue with our works of mercy.
 
As we head into the season of Lent, the church recommends prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as three works that can help form the heart of our Lenten practice and prepare us for the great celebration of Easter. It has been said that almsgiving covers a multitude of sins. I am reaching out to you today to ask you, as you start your Lenten journey, to consider making a gift of alms to St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy. We can invite God more deeply into our hearts, especially during Lent, by choosing to pray for and help others by our charity. 
 
I know these may be challenging times but if you are able, please help us with your financial support. Help us to transform lives through Christ’s love. You and your loved ones will be remembered during our 3 PM Divine Mercy Chaplet and Holy Hour. We hope that you prayerfully consider supporting us this Lent. 
 
As Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40, 45, NIV)
 
Gratefully in Jesus & Mary,
 

 
Dennis Gilhooley
Interim Director, St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy
 
]]><![CDATA[2025 Holiday Food Drive]]>Wed, 01 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.stlukesmissionofmercy.org/mailings/2025-holiday-food-driveDear Friends of St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy,
 
Greetings! As our team gears up for this holiday season, I pray that you are well.
 
At St. Luke’s, we are blessed to continue the mission that Co-Founders Amy Betros and Norm Paolini started over 31 years ago–-to provide food, shelter and clothing to those in need. When people gather every day for meals in this safe space, where their basic needs are met, we are reminded that God is Good! 
 
This is our first holiday season since the passing of our beloved director Amy and this tremendous loss has had a deep impact on all of us. But the missionaries and all of our St. Luke’s family are determined to preserve and live the vision that Amy and Norm had: to love, to serve, and to show mercy. And it remains a privilege and our life’s work to continue helping the poor and the underserved members in our community.
 
Food costs continue to increase, but people are hungry and need to eat, so the need to help is greater than ever. With your assistance and God’s grace, we anticipate providing Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to approximately 4000 families this holiday season. Our friends at Tarantino Foods will once again kindly assist us with distribution at their facility.
 
This year’s bundles will include a voucher for a large chicken, produce, and a bag with        dry goods (stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce, etc.). We will also be providing holiday meals for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
 
Amy always said that God can never be outdone in generosity. Trusting in this we ask that you pray and let the Lord direct your giving to us. Know that God will bless your generosity abundantly.
 
To those who are in need, and to those who help, we pray for you and your loved ones.
Thank you very much and God Bless you always,
 
Dennis Gilhooley
Interim Director
]]><![CDATA[Toy Drive 2024]]>Wed, 04 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.stlukesmissionofmercy.org/mailings/2023-st-lukes-toy-drive ]]><![CDATA[GINO GRASSO MEMORIAL KIDS OF THE KINGDOM PICNIC]]>Sat, 29 Jul 2023 15:42:58 GMThttps://www.stlukesmissionofmercy.org/mailings/gino-grasso-memorial-kids-of-the-kingdom-picnic
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​June 2023
Dear Friends,
The date is set for our annual fundraising event for our Kids of the Kingdom Summer Program. The kids in our community need this program in order to have a safe, fun filled summer. For 3 weeks in July, we provide breakfast, lunch, snacks, field trips, transportation and more during this FREE summer camp. Along with some of our teachers, volunteers from area colleges and high schools assist our campers.
Every year we hold 1 fundraising event to help us offset the cost of the Kids of the Kingdom (KOK) Summer Program. It’s bittersweet in that our dear friend, Gino Grasso, who founded the KOK Fundraiser is no longer with us. Gino wanted to make sure that our summer program was sufficiently financed to provide the necessary resources to ensure its success.
That’s what our KOK Fundraiser is meant to do!! Please remember that St. Luke’s is not affiliated with the Diocese, and receives no government assistance. We rely solely on the generosity and kindness received from the public.
We are excited to announce that the Gino Grasso Memorial Kids of the Kingdom Picnic will be held on
August 12, 2023 3 PM – 7 PM
Joseph’s Catering
275 Columbia Blvd Depew, NY 14043
• Tickets are $35 which includes Dinner and unlimited soda and coffee/tea
• Live entertainment and cash bar
• There will be a 50/50 raffle, basket auction, and a “wine toss”
It’s sure to be a fun day! However, we need your help to ensure a successful event. We would appreciate donations of gift certificates, cash, and bottles of wine. Any assistance will be gratefully accepted! Checks can be made payable to St. Luke’s/ Kids of the Kingdom.
To purchase tickets or to send a donation to help defray costs of this event you can send checks to St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy PO Box 448 Buffalo, NY 14215. You can also purchase tickets through our website at www.stlukesmissionofmercy.org.
Still have questions? Please contact us at our event line, 716-892-0215 and choose the option for the Kids of the Kingdom.
Again, we thank you for your continued support. The success of our program would not be possible without the grace of God and your generous donations. We look forward to getting together for a day filled with great food, music, drinks,
and more!
With grateful hearts,
The KOK Fundraising Committee
]]><![CDATA[Lenten Almsgiving Appeal 2023]]>Wed, 01 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.stlukesmissionofmercy.org/mailings/2022-education-fund
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Lent 2023
 
Dear Friends in Christ,
 
Thank you so much for your ongoing financial contributions, prayers for our missionaries and volunteer support for our community.  I am writing to you today because you are a faithful member of the St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy family and we need your help to continue with our works of mercy.
 
As we head into the Lenten season, the church recommends prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as three practices that can help form the heart of our Lenten journey and prepare us for the great celebration of Easter. It has been said that almsgiving covers a multitude of sins. I am reaching out to you today to ask you to consider making a gift of alms to St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy. We can invite God more deeply into our hearts, especially during lent, by choosing to pray for and help others by our charity.
 
Currently, we expect to spend approximately $1.5 million dollars in 2023 for food alone.  Our anticipated operating costs for 2023 will be about $600K.  No one receives a salary at St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy. However, we still need to pay for utilities, maintenance, and fuel just to name a few of those items that allow us to “keep the lights on” and get our work done.
 
We anticipate providing 500,000 meals in 2023.  The working poor are finding it necessary to make difficult decisions like choosing between feeding their families or paying their rent. That’s why they come to St. Luke’s for meals!    
 
We have no live fundraising events currently planned for the foreseeable future. One of the blessings over these past years has been the continued and very generous support we have received from friends like you. 
 
BECAUSE OF YOU, we have been able to meet the financial challenges of the mission to date.
 
Today, I am asking you to consider making a donation to St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy as a part of your Lenten almsgiving. You can make this a more prayerful and more meaningful Lent than you have ever experienced before. Help us to continue to serve everyone who comes to us.  I know these are difficult times but if you are able, please help us with your financial support. Help us to transform lives through Christ’s love.
 
As Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40, 45, NIV)
 
Gratefully in Jesus & Mary,
 Amy Betros
Director and Co-Founder St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy

]]><![CDATA[2021 Christmas Toy Drive]]>Thu, 29 Jul 2021 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.stlukesmissionofmercy.org/mailings/2021-christmas-toy-drive
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]]><![CDATA[2021 Education Letter]]>Mon, 12 Apr 2021 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.stlukesmissionofmercy.org/mailings/2021-education-letter
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]]><![CDATA[Associate Missionary 2021]]>Mon, 01 Mar 2021 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.stlukesmissionofmercy.org/mailings/associate-missionary-2021
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]]><![CDATA[2020 Holiday Food Mailing]]>Mon, 05 Oct 2020 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.stlukesmissionofmercy.org/mailings/2020-holiday-food-mailing
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