This program offers homeless and displaced people a chance to wash their clothes free of charge at Happy Bubbles Laundromat, 412 S. Missouri Avenue 3:30–7pm, on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.

Hope Villages Food Bank provides 6 million pounds of nutritious groceries each year to households in Pinellas, at its warehouse on Druid Rd. and thru 87 smaller food pantries. Please leave donations of non-perishables in the narthex or in the crates by the church office door. Brown bags are available in the church narthex.

Your loose change can buy baby food for the Hope Villages Food Bank! Baby food “banks” are available in the narthex. Consider taking one home as part of your family devotions. Makes a sweet teachable moment for children!

Weekly deliveries are made to the Isay Gulley Center Head Start program for 1- and 2-year-olds, supplying snacks to families where there is food insecurity. A group meets monthly in the parish hall after the 10am service for about an hour to fill bags with milk/juice/ snacks.

FAST is a consortium of Pinellas County churches joined together for the common cause of making improvements in our community. We tackle safety problems, low-income needs, juvenile justice issues, and health concerns. FAST follows the biblical example by bringing together the mayor, city council, business leaders and other officials to hear solutions for community problems. FAST speaks to governmental authorities with one voice to address a variety of challenges. We ask parishioners to attend the Nehemiah Action meeting in the spring.

As a community of faith, we are serving our homeless brothers and sisters in partnership with 3 Clearwater churches that
organize regular weekly meals (1st Methodist, Mt. Zion Methodist and Peace Presbyterian). On 4th Thursdays, Ascension provides the fresh fruit and dessert.

Volunteers on this committee work to respond to the needs of the local community. They keep the congregation informed, organize volunteers for one-time and ongoing activities, and allocate resources to appropriate community agencies.

Our Pack a Sack partner, the Isay Gulley Center, has requested volunteers to read to and/or spend time with their 1- and 2-year- olds. Reading are materials provided. Reading/mingle time is set aside Wednesdays at 9-10am. Mingle time, separate from reading, also may be set up on an individual basis.

In 1967, Ascension was one of 15 local faith communities that came together to provide help and hope for people in need. Together they founded Religious Community Services (RCS), known today as Hope Villages of America. Through a comprehensive array of services and programs, the mission of HOVA encompasses abuse and domestic violence, housing affordability and homeless prevention, food insecurity and other basic needs. Ascension has been a faithful and active supporter of HOVA since its inception, with parishioners volunteering in its many programs, and with numerous other parishioners serving in leadership roles. Please visit hopevillagesofamerica.org for further details.

Highland Pines Rehabilitation Center is located at 1111 S. Highland Ave., Clearwater. Volunteer opportunities: Regularly visit with residents who do not receive visitors, any day 9-11am. Participate in an Informal Devotions Service led by a layperson; read Scripture, and perhaps play or perform relevant musical pieces, Thursdays 3-4pm.

For over 25 years, Church of the Ascension has supported our thrift store, The Shed. This year-round outreach assists our customers who have limited budgets. In addition, one hundred percent of the funds generated at The Shed are given back to our community. This is done through donations to RCS & The Haven of RCS, Clothes-to-Kids, Pack-a-Sac, the Free Health Clinic, the Free Dental Clinic, etc. Last year we were able to donate over $22,000 back to our community.

This year-round outreach assists our customers who have limited budgets. In addition, one hundred percent of the funds generated at The Shed are given back to our community. This is done through donations to RCS & The Haven of RCS, Clothes-to-Kids, Pack-a-Sac, the Free Health Clinic, the Free Dental Clinic, etc. Last year we were able to donate over $22,000 back to our community.

For those suffering mental illness or the acute stress of modern life, Ascension offers Mental Health First Aid training. Like any first-aid program, this training provides techniques and information to assist you in the ministries of "being your brother’s keeper" and "loving your neighbor as yourself." Ministry groups and parishioners having direct contact with people on the Church’s behalf are encouraged to refine their skills in practical caring and Christian love. For details and dates contact Father Bill, associate@churchofascension.org,