Ladies Philoptochos
The Ladies Philoptochos Society is a national charitable organization that was established in 1931. The ministry’s name means ‘Friends of the Poor’. There are approximately 500 chapters nationwide. We work to aid the poor, the destitute, the hungry, the aged, the sick, the unemployed, the orphaned, the imprisoned, the widowed, the handicapped and victims of disasters. Philoptochos also works to preserve and perpetuate Orthodox Christian concepts in the family through our faith, customs and traditions.
The St. Basil Philoptochos chapter is small but mighty! We meet on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 pm via Zoom (with video or by phone).
One of the most important Diocese events that we are involved with is the Feed the Hungry program. This is an ongoing event where each of the parishes involved, is assigned specific dates to provide and serve a meal, and bring clothes for those in need.
Our parish events include baking for Easter and Christmas, parish feast eve/day receptions, annual coat drive, quarterly food drives, Easter Lamb Raffle, Palm Sunday Luncheon and so much more!
We actively participate in Sunday Fellowship Hour and host special events with fundraising efforts. Some of which include:
- Go Red Sunday - promotes Heart Health Awareness and raises funds for the American Heart Association
- Loukoumades Sunday - promotes various Philoptochos endeavors and raises money for them
- Bears Luncheon Sunday - we air the live Bears game, cook great tailgate food and raise money for our Comfort Care Project
There are several ongoing projects that we are currently involved in - some that we have even created ourselves!
- Dress a Girl Around The World - we host an annual Sew-A-Thon in the fall that is open to everyone. We sew dresses and pants to send to children in need all over the world. You don’t need to know how to sew to help!
- Comfort Care Project - we have teamed up with several local hospitals and have created specialized care bags filled with items designed to alleviate both physical discomfort and emotional stress to chemotherapy and radiation patients during their hospital cancer treatment visits. It was initiated by our very own Philoptochos Chapter and we hope to expand to others soon!
- Operation Classroom - each school year we adopt a classroom at a local, in-need school and provide items to the student to help them excel. This includes backpacks, supplies, activity packs, games, gloves and more.
Philoptochos needs your time and talents. You do not need to be an expert - we are glad to teach anyone willing to learn! We are always open to new ideas and can use your help. Membership is open to women (18 years or older) of the Greek Orthodox faith. You do not need to speak Greek or be of Greek descent to join. Our annual membership dues are $50.00. If you can’t make it to our meetings you can still join us for our many other events and projects! You can count on us to find a place for your talents and enthusiasm, and it’s a great way for new parishioners to get connected into the broader community of St. Basil.
For more information, contact our Philoptochos President, Kathy Walstrom, at stbasilphilo@gmail.com.
