Serve in Kansas City and Beyond
Share God’s healing love in our community and beyond! Volunteer at our local partner schools, form friendships with others, assist those who are experiencing poverty, or find another way to serve that fits your schedule.
Schools
The Banneker Families Fund
The Banneker Families Fund, separate from Andie’s Pantry, was established to help meet emergency needs of Banneker students’ families. St. Andrew’s acts as banker, grateful that the School cares about its families and knows them well enough to consider requests. For parishioners concerned about the Banneker/St. Andrew’s growing partnership and stability for students’ families, the Fund currently needs contributions.
Benjamin Banneker Edible Schoolyard Garden
Using six 12×4-foot raised beds, three classes of students enjoy hands-on work and responsibility, eagerly and naturally absorbing: Understanding of the seed-to-seed process, learning plant parts and horticulture. Tending, harvesting, preparing, cooking, and eating the vegetables they grow. Healthier eating by choosing to eat what they grow. The school’s staff also discovers and savors the fresh harvest.
The Edible Schoolyard Garden lessons extend through every month except November through January. Direct service with students occupies two hours twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons. Maintenance of the garden, the only tasks that students cannot do themselves, is done at other times.
Volunteers get to serve and know a hardworking capable staff and eager children, kindergarten through 6th grade, including several special-education classes. Volunteers assist students or maintain beds. Service may be intermittent or part-time.
Gordon Parks Elementary
Gordon Parks Elementary School, a Kansas City, Missouri, public charter school, currently serves over 175 kindergarten through 4th grade students. Founded in 1999 by parishioners Dorothy Curry and Sue Jarvis, Gordon Parks was named in honor of the groundbreaking African-American photographer, filmmaker, musician, and author who proudly endorsed the school’s mission of educating urban-core children to reach their full potential.
There are many opportunities for volunteers and mentors to work with students and have a long-term impact on their literacy, math, social skills, and self-confidence. Classroom volunteers help students reach their academic goals by: Reading with small groups. Reading one-on-one with our students. Helping with math proficiency and writing skills. Becoming a mentor and establishing a long-term relationship with one student is also a fantastic way to impact a student’s life.
Volunteers set their own hours in coordination with the teachers and volunteer coordinator.
Outdoors/Gardens
Clement Waters
Clement Waters is creating an open-harvest food forest and community green space in the hilly area around Fox Hollow Creek near Swope Park. The Clement Forest space is designed to create a peaceful state of mind, allowing for convenient coping and mind/body healing. Urban life brings on stressors that are hard to escape.
Clement Waters’ programs bring you to quiet moments in a safe environment where you can let go and regroup. Their vision? To have a safe, calming nature walk nearby every neighborhood; communities reclaiming the wealth of generational food harvesting wisdoms; and low-utility-usage homes built to be affordable for low-income families.
Kansas City Community Gardens
Kansas City Community Gardens is a nonprofit located in beautiful Swope Park, dedicated to increasing access to fresh, healthy foods for Kansas City’s families most vulnerable to food insecurity.
Serving over 20,000 households each year, KCCG works with community members, other service organizations, congregations, schools, and neighborhood groups to establish and maintain food gardens and orchards. KCCG provides gardening and nutrition education, resources, supplies, and materials for free or low cost to children and adults to create a healthier, hunger-free Kansas City.
Once a year, before spring, St Andrew’s members meet at KCCG to fill seed packages to be sold at a discount to low-income individuals and families. This is a fun volunteer opportunity for all ages.
Beyond Kansas City
St. Augustin School and Church (Maniche, Haiti)
St. Andrew’s and St. Augustin Episcopal Church in Maniche, Haiti, began a relationship in 1988.
St. Andrew’s has assisted with agriculture, economic development, and health projects in Maniche. But the longstanding focus and area of greatest success has been in education, assisting with funds for construction, teacher salaries, equipment, supplies, and lunches for St. Augustin School. The school now educates over 400 students each year in grade levels from preschool through middle school.
St. Andrew’s members have made it possible to provide a hot meal for every student every school day through donations and two fundraising efforts:
- The Haiti Advent Card Sale
- The Haiti Benefit Dinner
Contact: Kathy Shaffer
Food
Andie's Pantry
A partnership between Benjamin Banneker Elementary and St. Andrew’s providing fresh food, pantry staples, and essential household items for the families of Banneker Elementary while creating friendships. Read more.
Contact: Dorothy Curry and Melissa Rock
Kansas City Community Kitchen
St. Andrew’s volunteers serve at the Kansas City Community Kitchen on the first Friday of each month as the “plating team.” The plating crew consists of five volunteers who arrive at 10:50 a.m. and leave sharply at 2 p.m. This is not a long-term commitment; you will have an opportunity to sign up each month or you can volunteer for multiple months if you desire. No experience is required.
Contact: Bill Hesler
Pantry Partners (St. Paul's Episcopal Church)
Pantry Partners is a monthly volunteer and social opportunity for men and women in which St. Andrew’s partners with St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 40th and Main. St. Andrew’s volunteers serve the second Wednesday of each month between 5 and 7:30 p.m., and the volunteers often go to dinner at a local restaurant after serving. We bag and distribute groceries, toiletries, bread, fresh produce, and other items to needy people in midtown. St. Andrew’s has been involved in this outreach for about five years.
Contact: Bruce Long
Other
Free Store
Free Store is an annual St. Andrew’s event offering low-income families a hot meal and an opportunity to shop from hundreds of donated items.
On January 14, 2023, about 60 St. Andrew’s people partnered with members of St. James United Methodist Church. The result was about 250 people eating a hearty meal (provided by NourishKC), and shopping for free coats, hats, gloves, and boots.
Loads of Love (St. James United Methodist Church)
Every third Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., we partner with St. James United Methodist to offer free laundry service at Carol’s Laundry at 55th and Paseo. Three two-hour volunteer shifts will be available each Saturday. You can volunteer each month or as time allows.
Contact: Janet Kelley
Pet Ministry
The Pet Ministry provides families and their pets support with food, clothes and love. We focus on pet outreach organizations who focus on helping low income families in the community with pet food, pet supplies for outdoor safety and with assisting in pet healthcare needs. We partner with Children’s Ministry for service projects benefiting pets. We have family activities in the spring and fall.
In March, we need volunteers to bring their pets and march in the Brookside St. Patrick’s Day parade. In September, we need volunteers for the St. Andrew’s booth at Strutt With Your Mutt in Brookside. In October, we need volunteers to assist with the Pet Blessing service. Throughout the year, we need volunteers to help rebag pet food for pets of people experiencing homelessness. We also love to receive donations of gently used pet equipment that we can pass on to places in the community who need them.
Rose Brooks & Rosie's Closet
Sister Berta's Friendship Circle
The mission of Sr. Berta’s Friendship Circle is to positively impact poverty in our city by establishing relationships across the growing economic divide. Activities include experiences that foster trust and friendship with people experiencing poverty, ranging from adventures with children, volunteering together, preparing and sharing meals, or visits over coffee. If you’re interested in joining a circle and creating lasting relationships with those in need, contact Dorothy Curry at 816-365-4583 or by email.
