The Orthodox Church of the Mother of God - Joy of All the Sorrowful in Mays Landing NJ participated in a parish project in support of International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC). “Since the Dormition Fast seems to get lost in the fun of summer, we thought it would be a good idea to emphasize it by holding an alms-giving project,” said Trudy Ellmore (parish treasurer).

“Our parish is very small, so the goal was set at a moderate 10 kits of essential personal items. Each kit contains: a hand towel, a wash cloth, a bar of soap, a toothbrush, a comb, six Band-Aids & a nail clipper/metal nail file. After two-weeks of collection, enough items were gathered to make 65 complete kits!”

“Father Matthew (parish rector) prayed for the IOCC and blessed the boxes, that their contents would be a blessing and help to wherever they go. The boxes were mailed to IOCC. I was so happy that this project was so blessed to reap such great reward.  It was definitely by the prayers of our Most Holy Theotokos!!  We plan on making this an annual Dormition Fast project.”