Mohegan Church Praying for a Christmas Miracle
Rector Claire Woodley and parishioners of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Mohegan Lake have just one thing on their Christmas wish list this year: funding to complete a new building that houses the only food pantry in the area and other community needs.
“It would be a great gift to the community. That’s who benefits from this,” Woodley said. “We’re a small church but we have a big mission. If they want to see the biggest bang for their buck, this is the place.”
Ten years ago, St. Mary’s, which has approximately 250 parishioners, kicked off a fundraising campaign to construct a new Outreach Center to replace a dilapidated building that was built during the Great Depression. Woodley said two-thirds of the money needed was pledged, but then several people ran into financial difficulties and were unable to deliver, delaying the planned 2010 ground breaking.
A new campaign was launched and the church, located on Route 6, applied for several grants. The outside shell of the building was finished in October but the church found itself short about $200,000 to complete the required inside work, such as sheetrock, tiles, lighting, handicapped bathroom fixtures, etc. As a result, Woodley said St. Mary’s is unable to utilize most of the space without being able to get insurance or a certificate of occupancy.
“To say it has been a strain on our capacity to do our mission is really an understatement,” Woodley said. “We’ve spent every penny we have to get as far as we are. St. Mary’s is a working man’s parish. There are no deep pockets. There’s a lot of money in Westchester. It just doesn’t circulate where we are. I want to get this done so people can get back to doing their work.”
The signature, completely volunteer-run program offered at St. Mary’s is the food pantry, which has been operating for the last 40 years. Open 52 weeks a year, including Christmas Eve, the pantry serves about 150 needy families weekly. During the holiday season, that number jumps to about 250 families.
The pantry survives on regular donations from ACME and DeCicco’s supermarkets, other houses of worship, scouts, lions clubs and other organizations.
“It’s the biggest social service in our area, but we’re not government funded because it’s run out of a church,” Woodley explained. “It’s really a community food pantry. We’re small potatoes, but we do really good work.”
In addition to the food pantry, where currently clients are forced to line up outside in the cold, St. Mary’s makes bag lunches for the homeless during the Midnight Run, and houses Alcoholic Anonymous meetings and the Sunshine Club—a facility for mentally and emotionally handicapped adults.
Besides volunteers, Woodley said St. Mary’s is grateful for the assistance of J.P. McHale, Mohegan Motors (“Barry Rost is just an angel), and MBIA Insurance, and is hopeful others will find it in their hearts this holiday season and beyond to lend a hand.
“We are leaning into the grace of God,” Woodley said. “I think God wants better for this part of northern Westchester.”
Anyone interested in helping St. Mary’s in any way can call (914) 528-3972 or visit www.stmarysmoheganlake.org.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/