The SJA Outreach Fund provides the budget for our Justice Grants, our CARE Committee, and Sustaining Partnerships with several organizations integral to the life of St. Joan of Arc. Donations to the Outreach Fund must be made separately from those to the operating budget, and we thank all our donors who make this work possible.

$5000 Justice Grants were awarded this month to the following organizations, in which our parishioners are volunteers and leaders:

• Muslim Peacemaker Teams: Helping to rebuild the American Institute of English Language Headquarters in Najaf, Iraq. This building was home for the English for Reconciliation Program and the MPT offices, and was recently destroyed by a bomb.
• Sanctuary Support: To a congregation providing radical hospitality to families, and following the lead of the families they serve in accompaniment
• Interfaith Coalition on Immigration: Funding the position of AID coordinator and increasing the profile of the Sanctuary State Campaign with the MN legislature
• Urban Homeworks, Inc.: Supporting general operating costs to provide affordable housing and supportive services, and to expand volunteer programs.
• Mano a Mano International Partners: Supporting local and international efforts to distribute gently used medical and therapy equipment to people in need
• Bridging: Providing local families in need with household goods

CARE Committee: Our SJA CARE Committee provides emergency financial assistance for housing and utilities to parishioners and neighbors in need. We also serve the clients of several local partner organizations. As we begin the new year, we are aware that the lifting of the eviction moratorium may impact up to 20,000 families. We will keep SJA posted on the impact of this in our community.

Sustaining Partners: Donations were made for this fiscal year, as follows: $5000 to Women Against Military Madness; $10,000 to Mobile Loaves Twin Cities, Risen Christ School, and Sister Parish. Fr. Jim Cassidy leads a yearly second collection for Arm in Arm in Africa.

Special Project: This fall, as we mourned the murder of George Floyd, and witnessed the unrest in response to deep inequities in our community and our country, our SJA Outreach Fund Board approved the following grants of $5000 each, to grassroots efforts, majority led by people of color, working in direct service with impacted communities in St. Paul and Minneapolis, and also working for systemic change to address racial, educational and economic inequity. The recipients are:

• Mercado Central
• DuNord Foundation
• Cristo Rey Jesuit High School
• "We Love Midway"
• MIGIZI Communications
• Northside Achievement Zone
• West Broadway Business and Area Coalition
• Urban Ventures