2025 Previous Bulletins | Sister Isaac Center

July 19, 2025

As we wrap up our 2024–25 fiscal year, we are deeply grateful to share some meaningful successes with you.

This past year, we were honored to assist 4,245 families—nearly 10,000 individuals—in their times of need. This incredible impact was made possible thanks to the generous prayers and ongoing support of our St. Mary parishioners and surrounding community.

Some of the lives directly impacted include:

A 65-year-old grandmother who had just been granted temporary custody of her 6 grandchildren including 2 sets of twins, one set of whom were only 5 months old. She was overwhelmed with the physical and financial task ahead of her. Thanks to your support, we gave her clothing and other items for the children, food, bath towels, dishes and financial support for her electric bill.
A young man who was recovering from a terrible car accident and had recently found a job but couldn’t start until he had the proper clothes. He needed black pants, white collared shirts and black non-slip boots. These items were enough to give him some hope that things were going to get better for him.
And one of our favorite success stories, a young man who came to us homeless is now employed, has his own apartment, regained his driver’s license, reconnected with family members and is saving for a car.

Your continued support is changing lives—thank you for being part of this mission.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, we received a grant from the Residents of Old Wilmington to assist with the purchase of our van. This grant was funded by the proceeds from their annual BackDoor Kitchen Tour. The tour this year will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2025 (10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.), rain or shine.

Tickets are now on sale! Tickets are $40; all proceeds benefit downtown nonprofits. Be an EARLYBIRD and purchase your tickets between July 1-July 31 to receive $10 off! Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1373784429209 to purchase tickets. When we support our local organizations, we make the community a better place for us all.

Need of the week:

New / gently used backpacks / book bags

Save The Dates

Pasta for a Purpose: September 20, 2025 at 4:00 pm—St Mary School Cafeteria
BackDoor Kitchen Tour: October 11, 2025—Residents of Old Wilmington Quarter
Auction: November 15, 2025 at 10:00 am—St Mary School Cafeteria

August 31, 2025

Tickets to our Pasta for a Purpose fundraiser are now on
sale. See the flyer under the News & Events tab for details and purchasing options. We will also be selling tickets after all masses the weekend ofSeptember 13/14.
Many thanks to all who stopped by our table at the Ministry Fair. We truly appreciate your interest and are excited to welcome nine new volunteers to our team!

We reopen to our guests on Tuesday. Our first week back after the break is always a busy
one. One fun aspect is how happy the volunteers are to see each other again. It’s a week of hugs and smiles all around.
And, finally, the Knights of Columbus were at it again in August! Their food drive at
the Piggly Wiggly in Leland resulted in almost 1800 lbs. of food for our food-pantry. They
also collected over $500 which will be used to purchase protein items for our guests. This would not be possible without the cooperation of Piggly Wiggly management and their customers. To show our
appreciation, the Knights presented Manager Ryan and CoManager Brian, with a plaque
of thanks for their ongoing support. Many thanks to all.

The next Knights of Columbus food drive will be held on Saturday, September 13th from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm at the Food Lion in Leland.

SAVE THE DATE:

QUARTER AUCTION :
November 15th 10:00 am, St. Mary School Cafeteria

September 6/7, 2025

Tickets for our annual Pasta for a Purpose fundraiser are now on sale. See the flyer for information about how to purchase. We will also be outside the church after all masses next weekend for ticket sales and to answer any questions. Dinner is $15 per person. You can also purchase a raffle ticket for two chances to win $100 worth of lottery tickets. (Winner need not be present to win.)

Can’t attend but want to help? Sponsor a Table!

Sponsors can include businesses, families, individuals, or in honor / memory of a loved one. Sponsorship costs $100 per table.

What’s included:

* Your name or company logo displayed on the sponsored table throughout the event

* A chance to connect with over 300 individuals on the evening of the event.

* Recognition in our weekly bulletin, our website, and our social media platforms.

Need of the week: Boys Fall clothing sizes 2T – 6

September 13/14, 2025

For this week the Pasta flyer was published along with this:

Tickets for our 2nd Annual Pasta for a Purpose fundraiser will be on sale after all masses this weekend. Please consider joining us for this fun evening of great food and wonderful fellowship. See our flyer for more details

Need of the week: new or gently used suitcases with wheels

September 20/21, 2025

The Sister Isaac Center opened with a bang on Sept 2nd. Since then we have assisted over 220 families. Many of our guests said they missed us and, quite frankly, we missed them too!

This weekend is our Pasta for a Purpose dinner. We are so grateful to all who attended, our donors, and to all the volunteers. Watch this space next weekend for some fun pictures of the event.

We are very excited to announce that our newly designed website is up and running. Please take a look at https://www.thesisterisaaccenter.org/ and let us know what you think!

This six month project would not have been possible without the leadership of Paul Wilkes, volunteer and friend extraordinaire. His guidance, communication skills, and patience are very much appreciated.

Wilmington Design Company worked closely with us to design a site that reflected the joy and love we strive to give our guests each and every day. We thank them for their professionalism.

And, very importantly, Steve Petzold, parishioner and Knights of Columbus member has generously volunteered to be our webmaster and has already spent quite a bit of time helping us edit. Thank you, Steve!

It truly does take teamwork to make the dream work!

Upcoming events: Quarter Auction November 15th 10am – 1pm.

Need of the week: Men’s casual shoes–specifically sneakers and workboots

September 27/28, 2025

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the honor of sharing the mission and story of The Sister Isaac Center with several local nonprofit organizations. One particularly meaningful invitation came from the Lutheran Church of Reconciliation on Market Street. After hearing about our work, they chose to adopt The Sister Isaac Center as the focus of their Good Samaritan Project for September.

Each month, the congregation supports a local nonprofit that is making a tangible difference in the community, and we are truly humbled to be their chosen partner this month. Their generosity and compassion are already being felt: just one week after my visit, we received a donation of over 150 bags filled with female personal care products to distribute to our guests! Moments like these remind us that it takes a village—and we are so grateful for ours.

This month, I also had the wonderful opportunity to join the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court #1036, during their monthly meeting right here at St. Mary’s. While some members have previously volunteered at The Sister Isaac Center—and even had the pleasure of meeting Sister Isaac herself—many were new to our mission. I was honored to share the story and work of our Center with such a dedicated and inspiring group.

After my presentation, I stayed for their meeting and was truly amazed by the scope of their service. Their projects touch lives both locally and beyond. Not only do they support several initiatives at The Sister Isaac Center, but they’re also active in supporting Knights of Columbus events, engaging with St. Mary School students, assisting with the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon, and much more.

Their generosity reaches even further—they assemble care packages for veterans, provide aid to victims of domestic violence, make teddy bears for Victory Junction (a camp for children with serious medical needs), and support various state and national Catholic Daughter initiatives.

Most recently, they hosted a fun and successful Bunco Night Fundraiser to raise funds for all of these wonderful efforts. And coming up in October, they’ll begin selling tickets for their Christmas Raffle—be sure to watch the church bulletin for more details!

If you’d like to learn more or get involved with the Catholic Daughters, you can reach out to Cindy Givens at drcindy58@gmail.com.

Need of the week: can openers, utensils, new / gently used pots

October 4/5, 2025

Thanks to our wonderful friends, family, volunteers — and one heck of a good meatball — the Second Annual Pasta for a Purpose was a tremendous success!

With fantastic Italian cuisine, festive décor, and lively music, the evening was filled with laughter, smiles, and a true sense of community. We were thrilled to welcome so many guests to this fun-filled event.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to:

Miss Vickie, our amazing cafeteria manager — this event would not have been possible without you!
Our head chefs, Linda Hetzel and Irene Cavanagh — what a truly caring and talented team!
The incredible volunteers from the Sister Isaac Center who spent countless hours planning, cooking (over 600 meatballs!), serving, and cleaning up.

We are also deeply grateful for the support of the following organizations and businesses:

Hagood Homes – Carolina Beach
Excelsior Training – Wilmington
Hairology – Leland
Wilmington Kitchen and Bath – Wilmington
Tobaccoville – Wilmington
Trader Joe’s
Costco
Food Lion
Knights of Columbus Council 1074
Catholic Daughters Court 1036
An Anonymous Donor

Raffle Winners

The winners of the two $100 Lottery Trees were Dennis Deasy and Louis Santiago.
The 50/50 raffle was won by John Holohan, who very graciously donated half of his winnings back to us. Thank you, John!

From all of us involved in Pasta for a Purpose, thank you for helping us make a difference — one plate of pasta at a time!

Watch this space for information on 2 upcoming events:

Our Thanksgiving Basket project for our guests

Our Annual Quarter Auction Fundraiser (November 15th)

Need of the week: All-purpose cleaning products

October 11/12, 2025

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who brought non-perishable food items for our Share Sunday collection last weekend. Your generosity goes a long way in restocking our food shelves and helping those in need within our community.

The next few months promise to be busy ones (as if the last few weren’t already!). With the Quarter Auction, Thanksgiving Baskets, and other seasonal efforts coming up, we’re excited—and grateful—for all the ways our community continues to show up and serve.

Our Annual Quarter Auction will be held Saturday, November 15 from 10am -1pm in the Upper Room. The Quarter Auction is a fun and fast-paced fundraising event that blends the excitement of a raffle with the strategy of an auction—using quarters instead of large sums of money to bid on items. Each item has a set quarter bid amount (e.g., 1 to 4 quarters based on item value). The minimum value of any item is $20 and you can win that for only 25 cents!

Last year we auctioned off over 75 items!

Auction offerings can include gift cards to local restaurants and businesses, themed baskets such as Wine with Friends, Spa Day, Day at the Beach, Home Decorating, Hair Care, Auto Detailing, Gardener’s Delight, Summer Fun for the Grands, Outdoor Cocktail Hour, and more.

We are in the process of gathering items for our baskets. We have been very blessed in the past by parishioners who choose to donate themed baskets, new items, or gift cards to us to be auctioned. If you would like to donate a new item, gift card to your favorite business, or put together a whole basket, please contact us.

Thanksgiving Basket Project
Each November, we prepare and distribute beautiful Thanksgiving baskets to our guests filled with everything needed to cook a warm, hearty holiday meal.
These baskets include: a frozen uncooked turkey, stuffing mix, fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, pies, and all the traditional trimmings!
Last year, with the generous support of St. Mary School and Religious Education program, St. Marks, UNCW and others, we were able to provide 130 families with a full Thanksgiving dinner.

We need help! If you’d like to create a Thanksgiving basket for one of our families, or donate items to be included in a basket (such as a 10-12 frozen turkey) please contact us. We have a list of suggested basket items to help guide you. Together, we can ensure many families in our community have something to be thankful for this holiday season.

If you feel called to help with either of these projects, contact us at 910-762-5491 ext. 135 or drop by our office Mon – Fri 9am -12pm.

As the weather turns a bit cooler we are accepting donations of cool weather clothing only. Please hold any summer clothing: we just don’t have the storage space to store them until next summer.

Need of the week–new or gently used dinner dishes, glasses, and utensils–

October 18/19, 2025

This story is a powerful reminder that people’s situations often run deeper than they initially appear. What seemed like a straightforward financial request turned out to be a cry for stability, safety, and dignity.

A woman came to us asking for help with a car payment. Normally, we don’t assist with that kind of expense — car loan companies are usually based out of town, and there’s no guarantee they’d process our payment correctly.

But this woman caught our attention. She kept saying she was going to be “put out” if she couldn’t make the payment. At first, we didn’t understand what she meant. But after sitting with her and really listening, we realized she was homeless and living in her car. She was terrified that if the car was repossessed, she’d have nowhere to go at all. She hadn’t been sleeping and was clearly overwhelmed.

We did some checking and located an office in Wilmington where she could make her payment directly. When we told her we could help, the relief was immediate — she thanked us and hugged us over and over. We also gave her information for local homeless resources and even offered to call on her behalf, but she wasn’t quite ready to take that step. We let her know she’s welcome to come back anytime for food and other essentials or just to talk.

In the meantime, we’re praying that she finds the strength and support she needs to move forward, and we ask that you keep her in your prayers as well. God knows her name and her heart.

Thanksgiving Basket Project
Our annual Thanksgiving Basket project is underway, and we hope to provide baskets for over 100 of our guests and their families this year.

Many generous parishioners have already committed to assembling food baskets for our neighbors in need — and we invite you and your family to join in!

Each basket should include a variety of uncooked food items, along with a frozen turkey. We have a list of suggested items to help guide you. If you’re interested in participating, we’d be happy to email you the list.

Completed baskets should be delivered to the Sister Isaac Center by the morning of Monday, November 24th.

To sign up or request the list, please contact us:
910-762-5491 ext. 135 or outreach@thestmaryparish.org

Thank you for helping us make this Thanksgiving a little brighter for our neighbors.

October 25/26, 2025

We were the grateful recipients of some incredible generosity last week. The Wilmington Senior Softball Association (WSSA) held a coat drive and donated more than seven VERY tall boxes of winter coats—just in time for the cooler weather! We are truly thankful for their kindness and support.

Founded in 1995, the WSSA lives by the inspiring motto:
“You don’t stop playing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop playing.” This spirit of energy and giving back is evident in all they do. In addition to the coat drive, WSSA members recently collected 750 pounds of food for the local food bank and volunteered their time for the Special Olympics.

We’re proud to have such dedicated and community-minded partners. For more information about the WSSA and the amazing work they do (and the fun they have playing softball) visit their website: www.wilmingtonseniorsoftball.net.

We also were the recipients of a HUGE amount of diapers from St. Therese Catholic Church in Wrightsville Beach. This is a project the church spearheads each year for the benefit of our guests. We are so very thankful to the Pastor, Reverend William J Upah, the parishioners who donated and especially Kathi Ambrose who headed-up this enormous effort.

Thank you, WSSA and St.Therese Catholic Church for helping us make a difference!

As you know, our Thanksgiving project is up and running. We hope to provide food baskets for over 100 of our guests and their families this year.

Many generous parishioners have already committed to assembling food baskets for our neighbors in need — and we invite you and your family to join in!

We are also in need of people to deliver baskets to our guests on Tuesday November 25th from 9am – 11am. Please let us know if you can help.

Next weekend is Share Sunday (see the box elsewhere in this bulletin). At the beginning of October, St. Mary parishioners generosity provided 381 pounds of food. This was enough to feed more than 20 families for one week. Your donations are truly making a difference in our community.

November 1/2, 2025

Tickets for our upcoming Quarter Auction and Raffle are now on sale! This fun event will take place on Saturday, November 15th from 10am -1pm in the Upper Room of the Tileston Center. See flyer for details.

Tickets will be available for purchase after all masses next weekend, through our website, or using the QR code on the flyer in this bulletin.

For ticket purchases,cash, credit cards or checks made payable to The Sister Isaac Center will be accepted.

Our Thanksgiving project is well underway. We are receiving many calls each day from our guests requesting a Thanksgiving Basket and we’re thrilled we will be able to help many local families have an enjoyable holiday.

We currently have commitments from donors for 115 baskets. If you are interested in donating a basket or some basket contents (like turkeys, butter, milk, etc) please contact us…we have a list of items to be included in each basket and we are hoping to feed as many families as possible. Items are due by Friday Nov. 21st.

If you are interested in volunteering to distribute the baskets on Tuesday November 25th, please contact us. outreach@thestmaryparish.org or 910-762-5491 ext 135

This past week we received a large donation of diapers from the parishioners of St. Mark’s Church. It is a wonderful feeling to know that so many local churches and organizations see and understand what we do and want to help. This donation will truly help us by freeing up funds to purchase other needed items. Many thanks to St. Mark’s Church!

We also had a visit from St. Mark’s Middle School students. The students attended mass, learned about the Jubilee Year and had a tour of the Basilica. As preparation for their field trip, they collected 60 pairs of socks, 20+ shirts, 16 pairs of pants, 50 (!) pairs of undergarments and a few dozen cans of food. What a wonderful way to Show Love Through Action! Thank you and well done St. Mark Middle Schoolers!

Need of the Week: All Purpose Cleaning items

November 8/9, 2025

Our Annual Quarter Auction and Raffle is next weekend, Saturday November 15, from 10 am -1pm in the Upper Room. Tickets are on sale after each mass this weekend. Cash, checks (made payable to The Sister Isaac Center), and credit cards will be accepted. Tickets can also be purchased through our website www.TheSisterIsaacCenter.org. See our flyer below for more details.

The Raffle now includes a 40″ Samsung TV, a weekend get-away, lottery trees, a Golf weekend and more. We have over 60 baskets and gift cards to auction!

This year we are also adding a Silent Auction. We have been gifted many handmade quilts of exquisite workmanship and beauty. Some of these will be included in our Silent Auction next weekend with bidding starting at $25 for small quilts and $40 for larger ones. They will be on display at the auction next weekend. We can’t wait to see you there!

Our Thanksgiving Basket program is moving along beautifully, and we are deeply grateful for the generosity of the many private donors who have offered to create baskets for our guest families. This year, we are receiving a record number of requests and are hopeful that we’ll be able to provide a festive holiday meal for at least 125 families.

One of our guests (a grandmother raising her grandchildren) recently shared how much this means to her. She reminisced about the large holiday gatherings her parents used to host and said it has been many years since she’s been able to bring her whole family together. Thanks to the kindness of our donors, this year she’ll be able to do just that — to gather, to celebrate, and to create new memories with her loved ones.

We are so thankful to everyone helping make this season brighter for our community. Contact us if you’d like to help.

Need of the week: paper towels, tissues, Lysol wipes, Windex

November 15/16, 2025

Many thanks to everyone who joined us for our Quarter Auction and Raffle!
It was a fantastic morning full of fun, laughter, and great prizes — and many attendees left with their arms full! We truly appreciate your support and enthusiasm. Stay tuned — we’ll be sharing some photos next week!

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be providing Thanksgiving baskets for 130 families in our community!
This incredible effort is made possible by the many generous donors who have offered their time, money, and expertise. The impact of this cannot be overstated — more than 500 people will be sharing a holiday meal with their loved ones because of the caring spirit that defines our community. Well done, everyone!

Next up: Our Christmas Projects!
We’re excited to shift our focus to our three Christmas initiatives. While it may feel a bit early, these projects take many weeks to organize, and we’re grateful for your understanding as we prepare ahead of the season.

Our Giving Tree will be set up in the church vestibule next weekend. Each year, through your generosity, we’re able to provide a full Christmas celebration for at least 35 guest families. This includes gifts and clothing for the children, a special family gift (such as a set of pots or a new comforter), and a turkey or ham, along with a grocery gift card. We utilize the Giving Tree to gather gifts for the families.

Our second project, Yesterday’s Children, is particularly geared to the elders in our community. We ask donors to fill a shoe box with small hygiene and gift items. We then hand-deliver them to area residences such as Haddon Hall. Our volunteers have lovely memories of interactions; sometimes this is the only gift a senior will receive this holiday season.

If you’re shopping at The Cotton Exchange, be sure to stop by Cape Fear Footwear, where the generous owners are once again displaying a Giving Tree on our behalf. The gifts collected from this tree help stock our third project, ourChristmas Room. This enables usto provide toys and gifts for families who haven’t been part of our St. Mary’s Giving Tree project. Thanks to the kindness of our community — and the support of our friends at Cape Fear Footwear — we’re able to share the joy of Christmas with even more families each year.

Guidance and directions for each project will be provided in next week’s bulletin.

Your kindness makes these joyful traditions possible — thank you for helping us share the spirit of Christmas with our community!

Need of the week: Men’s sweatshirts & hoodies, preferably size large, XL, 2XL+

November 22/23, 2025

Our Thanksgiving Basket distribution is Tuesday, November 25th. Many thanks to all who donated food, money, and time to help make this endeavor such a success. Through your help, we will provide a full Thanksgiving to more than 550 adults and children. We live in an incredible community.

Next up–our three Christmas projects: Our Giving Tree, Yesterday’s Children, and our Christmas Room.

Each year, we provide a full Christmas for 35+ families. This includes gifts and clothing for the children, a family gift (a set of pots, a crockpot, etc), a turkey or ham for their holiday meal, and a grocery gift card so they can buy their traditional family foods. We utilize the Giving Tree to gather gifts. This year, we are using paper ornaments on the tree to identify the requested items. An example might be “babydoll for Karen, age 2” or “pajamas for Kevin, age 7, size 8”. Each child will have about 6 ornaments on the tree. There are also ornaments asking for funds (in small amounts), such as “$10 toward pots and pans for Maria”. This allows our shoppers to purchase some of the more expensive items. Donation envelopes are available on the table in the vestibule next to the tree.

A few things to keep in mind:

Each ornament represents anactual person. We ask that you keep them and their families in your prayers, even if their name is not listed. God knows who they are.
Once an item is purchased, attach the paper ornament to the gift (or envelope) and place it back under the tree. You may also bring it to the Sr. Isaac Office on the 4th Street side of the Tileston Building (big gravel lot), Mon – Thurs 9 am – 2 pm. Don’t worry about leaving gifts or envelopes under the tree. We will have volunteers checking after Mass each day.
Please DO NOT WRAP the gifts. We prefer to give parents a chance to see what has been donated for their child. We do our best to provide separate gift paper for each family.
Instruction sheets are available on the table in the vestibule.
If you would like to adopt a family, please call us.
Gifts are due back the weekend of December 14 & 15.

Our second project, Yesterday’s Children is a program Sr. Isaac put in place years ago. It is particularly geared to the elders in our community. We ask donors to fill a shoebox with small hygiene items, puzzle books, socks, treats, a trinket, etc. We then hand-deliver them to area residences such as Haddon Hall. Our volunteers always come back with lovely stories of interactions they’ve had. For some elders, this is the only gift they will receive.

Some notes:

A list of suggested items, an instruction sheet, and some empty shoe boxes are in the vestibule
If you want to wrap the shoe box, please wrap the lid separately from the box. DO NOT WRAP the box completely closed.
Decide if the items are geared to a man or a woman, and mark the box “lady” or “gentleman” and place it under the Giving Tree.
Shoeboxes are due back the weekend of December 14 /15.

We’ll describe our third project, our Christmas Room, in next week’s bulletin. Stay tuned!

Need of the week: powdered laundry detergent.

November 29/30, 2025

We had some big winners at our Quarter Auction two weeks ago.

Raffle winners include:

Samsung 40″ TV: Kevin Frank
Samsung Tablet: Judy DeMarse
Electric/Acoustic Guitar: Claudette Rossi
Lottery Tree: Therese Rogers
Golf for Four: Lori Vidmar
Elkin Weekend: Roseann Helms

Silent Auction Quilt winners were: Jennette Trygar, Claire Signorello, Marie Eason, Barbara Smurda, Tricia Welsby, and Elaine Cattel

Many thanks to all who supported this endeavor.

Last week, we wrote about two of our Christmas projects; the Giving Tree, which will provide clothing and gifts to 35 families in our community and our Yesterday’s Children project that will provide shoeboxes filled with small hygiene and gift items for 125+ elders in local senior living homes. Information and instructions for these two projects are on the table in the vestibule.

Our third initiative is our Christmas Room project. Each year, the owners of Cape Fear Footwear graciously host a Giving Tree at the Cotton Exchange downtown. We provide them with paper ornaments indicating specific requests for toys and clothing. The donated items collected from this tree are then used to stock our Christmas Room.

Because we serve hundreds of families annually and are only able to assist a limited number through the St. Mary Giving Tree, the Christmas Room enables us to extend the spirit of Christmas even further by providing gifts to children who are not already included on our primary list.

You are welcome to help fill our Christmas Room. Simply purchase a toy and drop it off at our office by December 5th.

Next weekend is Share Sunday. Please see the flyer elsewhere in this bulletin for details.

Need of the week: blankets

December 6/7, 2025

This Thanksgiving, we had much to be thankful for. Our November project—providing a complete Thanksgiving meal to area families—became a true community event. Sister Isaac volunteers, UNCW staff and students, St. Mary Religious Education, St. Mary School families, St. Mark’s School and alumni, along with more than 50 individual donors, worked together to provide food for 152 families, including almost 700 people.

We saw many new faces among parishioners, community members, and school parents who donated, assembled, and delivered baskets. We couldn’t have done it without our St. Mary 8th graders, who, with great enthusiasm, carried the heavy baskets to the far end of the parking lot for pick-up. Special thanks to Ericka Henderson from Tarantelli’s, James Diaz of SeaCoast Realty, and Paul Tribbs (who quietly shows up each year to support this endeavor in many ways). And a very special thank-you to Mr. Rick Wilkins, whose generosity enabled us to purchase more than 70 turkeys.

From our viewpoint, we’re incredibly thankful for our volunteers and donors. In the words of one of our recipient families, “Y’all are a blessing straight from God.”

We are in week two of our Christmas projects. Thank you to all who have taken paper ornaments from the Giving Tree. Please remember that each paper ornament represents an actual person, and our goal is to fulfill the wish list of all the families we’ve adopted. Return your unwrapped gift with the paper ornament attached by December 14th.

We have also provided envelopes in the vestibule of the church for monetary donations. The envelope can be mailed, put under the tree, or brought to our office.

Our shoebox project, Yesterday’s Children, is also underway. Empty shoe boxes, a list of suggested items to be included, and instructions are available in the vestibule. If you want to wrap the box, please wrap the lid separately from the bottom of the box.

If you have any questions, please contact us 910-762-5491 ext 135 or stop by our office on the 4th street side of the Tileston building Mon – Thurs 9 am -12:30pm

December 13/14, 2025

Our Christmas projects are coming to a close; we are so grateful for everyone’s generosity throughout this season. Please note that our final day open to our guests will be Thursday, December 18th. We will reopen on Monday, January 5th.

Giving Tree Gifts
Gifts purchased for families on our Giving Tree are due this weekend. Any last-minute gifts must be brought to The Sister Isaac Center by Tuesday, December 16. It takes time to organize the gifts, so after that date, our volunteers will shop for any missing items. Please remember that each paper ornament corresponds to a real person / family.

Yesterday’s Children Shoeboxes
Shoeboxes for Yesterday’s Children are also due this weekend, December 13–14. They will be distributed this coming week, so any additional boxes must be dropped off at The Sister Isaac Center by Monday, December 15.

Please call us with any questions or concerns.

This past week, we were delighted to distribute “Italian Night In” gift boxes to our guests, courtesy of The Catholic Daughters. Each beautifully wrapped box included pasta, sauce, spices and herbs, vegetables, cheese, and chocolates. Our guests were thrilled with such an unexpected and thoughtful gift. Many thanks to The Catholic Daughters for once again sharing their cheer and goodwill.

Need of the week: Men’s sweatshirts and hoodies

December 20/21, 2025

Distribution of our Christmas projects is underway. Many thanks to everyone who provided toys for our Christmas Room, Giving Tree gifts for our adopted families, and shoeboxes for the elders in our community through our Yesterday’s Children project. Because of your generosity and thoughtfulness, many families in our community will experience a very special Christmas.

Thank you, also, for trusting us to be the vessel through which your generosity is shared and our community is cared for.

May we ask that, in addition to all you’ve already done, you keep these families in your prayers? While we have helped make their holiday a bit brighter, many of them continue to face significant struggles. God knows them by name.

The Sister Isaac Center is now closed. We will reopen on Monday, January 5th.

December 27/28, 2025

A Very Busy Month for The Sister Isaac Center

In December, we distributed talian Night Out dinner boxes. More than 45 guests left with smiles on their faces, excited for a hearty meal courtesy of Catholic Daughters Court 1036. We also hosted our annual Christmas Room project, helping more than 60 families add a little extra joy under the tree for their children. On December 19th, Yesterday’s Children shoe boxes were hand-delivered to residents of Haddon Hall. And finally, on December 22, we distributed the Giving Tree gifts to our adopted families. All in all, it has been a truly fruitful holiday.

We are now taking time to rest and prepare for our reopening on Monday, January 5.

We thank you all for shining light and hope onto our community this Christmas season .

We sincerely wish everyone a very Happy and Blessed New Year.