Mortaring the Cracks: Charities Around Washington, DC- so Folks don't fall through.

Lenten Works- great places to support.

I became a little alarmed when I heard about the Charitable Non-Deduction Proposed- only because I know how badly some of the really necessary good works need donations to survive and do their work. How many people who now give wouldn't if it were not a tax deduction? Did your mother tell you to always write a check instead of giving cash so you would have a record?

So I decided to start this little series on "MORTARING THE CRACKS- SO FOLKS DON'T FALL THROUGH." As the Spirit moves, I will highlight charitable programs around the District that you may not know about. Feel free to write me at HaveMercyOnUs-at- aol.com (replace the -at- with the @ if you are not a spammer to let me know of any others you want to highlight and I will post them here)

Tonight's feature is about a little known transitional program for young near homeless or actually homeless women who are either pregnant or with small children who for whatever reason find themselves without resources, sometimes court adjudicated into the program or otherwise in need of gracious kind secure philanthropy.

A packed crowd ate tonight a simple "lenten meal" of tomato soup and dinner rolls in a basement conference room at Saint Matthews Cathedral and listened to a presentation on this place:

SAINT ANNE'S INFANT AND MATERNITY HOME.
http://www.stanns.org/

Saint Anne's was originally founded by Mother Anne Seaton's order, the Daughters of Charity (Mother Anne Seaton is the first American born Saint who is buried in Emmitsburg, Maryland-just fifteen minutes from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania who sent her sisters all over the East Coast in the 19th century to start schools and orphanages) as an orphanage in 1860 for orphans, with an emphasis soon on taking care of all the fatherless created by the Civil War. It sits on the border of DC and Maryland in Hyattsville, Maryland. It's original Charter was signed by Abraham Lincoln. From its inception it took in all races of women and their children who were transitioning to greater self-sufficiency.
In an average year it now cares for 325 teenage women and their infants. It has a fully credited High School on the premesis. Now it runs four programs; a Children's Residential Program, the Teen Mother-Baby Program, Faith House and the Community Child Care Program.

The environment is loving, nurturing and affirming. Just what these women need.
If there were more programs like this, and more people knew about them, there certainly would be a lot less abortions.

You can go and schedule a visit and tour of the place (maybe even meet some of the women.)
This is one of those charities that would likely suffer if the charitable tax deduction were eliminated unless they were provided substitute funding.
Half their funding comes from grants, and the other half -about $3 Milion it takes to run the facility and pay salaries and feed everyone- comes from private donations.

Think About It-now go get your checkbook.

I know I repeated the word "orphans" a lot here- and that is because the fatherless are the new orphans. True Justice and religion, we are told repeatedly in scripture is this: to take care of the orphan, the widow and keep oneself unstained from the world.
Taking Care of Orphans.....and what's in your wallet?