Who knew back in the spring that the scourge of COVID-19 would still be with us as we head in to the holidays? Portland is suffering along with the rest of the country. Many members of our parish have been impacted by the loss of jobs or having had their work hours reduced.

In the spring, many St. Michael’s parishioners and friends offered to donate money to help those less fortunate, include some who lost most or all of their income and/or were not eligible for federal funds. At the beginning, volunteers bought and delivered actual groceries to two to four families. Then, as the number of families needing help grew to around 15, the team switched to giving grocery gift cards.