Muffin Mornings
Every Wednesday we provide a free, healthy breakfast to all who attend our Muffin Mornings. In 2023, we identified two needs to be addressed in our community - food scarcity and social isolation. We created Muffin Mornings as a way to address both of those needs. We have a wide selection of muffins, baked or bought by members of our congregation, as well as fruit, cheese, juice, tea, and coffee. All are welcome to join us for a free breakfast and great conversation!
All Ages Events
At St. Paul's United, we aim to host events with the 5 F's in mind - faith, family, fun, free, and with lots of food! Our All Ages Minister, Gracelyn, hosts several events throughout the year with those in mind, from movie nights, to video game nights, to Messy Easter and Messy Christmas celebrations. All events are aimed for all ages to attend and are, of course, free and open to all!
Craft & Games Nights
Our All Ages Minister, Gracelyn, hosts free Craft & Games nights twice each month, which are open to all ages and skill sets! Bring your own crafts or games, or just bring yourself! We have lots of games and lots of craft supplies to play with. Refreshments are always provided
Sutherland School
St. Paul's partners with our neighbour, Sutherland School, to provide volunteers for reading and serving breakfasts to the kids during the week. We also collect donations for their breakfast program, and for their Christmas shop, where kids can purchase gifts for their family members for only 25 cents!
Support Afghan Refugee Families
In 2024, St. Paul's joined a partnership with the Roman Catholic Diocese in Saskatoon and two family members to sponsor a family to emigrate from Afghanistan. As we work through the paperwork required, we will also be collecting gently used furniture, toys, and clothing to help the transition to Canada.
Little Community Library
Our little library is one of the ways St. Paul's reaches out to our neighbours. We continually fill it with books, puzzles, and snacks to support those in need in our community. After each Muffin Morning, the leftovers are bagged up and put in the library for anyone to grab. We also put in toques, scarves, mitts, hats, and any other things we think our neighbours could use.
The Piecemakers
St. Paul's is the home of The Piecemakers quilting group, which is comprised of both congregants of St. Paul's and community members. Each year, The Piecemakers make a huge number of quilts from donated fabrics, which are then donated to community organizations in Saskatoon. In 2024, this group of amazing women created 239 beautiful quilts, as well as 84 pairs of neonatal bonding swatches, 3 denim sleep mats for unhoused members of the community, totes for our Christmas hampers, and table runners, potholders, and tote bags to donate to the Sutherland School Christmas store. The quilts were donated to local hospitals, schools, and community outreach programs, such as Egadz, River Bend ICM, Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby, and so many more! 2024 was the 25th anniversary of The Piecemakers group!
Christmas Hampers
Each year, St. Paul's collects the names of several famillies in our community in need of some extra assistance in the holiday season. We collect donations of food, goods, and money, to help make Christmas Hampers, specific to each family's needs. The hampers will include both pantry and fresh foods, as well as gifts for each member of each family. In 2024, we provided help for 21 families, comprised of 42 children and 51 adults!
River Bend Integrated Community Ministries
ICM is a part of the United Church of Canada and is a Community and Social Justice Ministry which is expressed primarily through; community development, education for social change, and pastoral care. The ministry endeavours to build relationships of solidarity, justice, respect and compassion with individuals, organizations, churches and core residents of Saskatoon. St. Paul's partners with ICM to provide volunteers to cook and serve lunches to individuals in the core neighbourhoods of Saskatoon.
St. Paul's Community Garden
St. Paul's has large garden areas on the east and south sides of our building. We use these spaces to grow an abundance of food for our community. Much of the produce is bagged and left in the little library for community members to take, or given away at Muffin Mornings or in our food hampers. We have a small, but dedicated, team of individuals, led by our hospitality leader, Debra Bathgate, who plant and tend the gardens all summer long!
