|
   
| |
Pulling Together
since 1972
| | |
....to prevent homelessness in our neighborhoods
….to feed the hungry in our neighborhoods
….to care for children in our neighborhoods
…to provide purpose and community in our neighborhoods
| | |
Congratulations to our volunteer, Carolyn Dean, who has been named a 2026 WLKY News Bell Award honoree!
When everything was shutting down in the pandemic — and our pantry volunteer staff dropped from 120 to 20 just as the need for our services tripled—Carolyn showed up to help and has been with us ever since.
Logging over 16,400 hours at outreach nonprofits across our city, Carolyn models what it truly means to build community, and we couldn't be prouder to celebrate her and have her as a part of ours! Learn more about Carolyn and the other 2026 honorees here.
| | From Our Executive Director | | |
Record-Breaking Generosity. Record-Breaking Need.
Let’s Rise Together.
Because of your incredible generosity, we achieved record-breaking donations during this year’s Give for Good Louisville! To everyone who shared their time, talent, and treasure that day and throughout all 364 other days of the year, THANK YOU! Your steadfast support fuels our missions and reminds our neighbors that they are not alone.
Even as we celebrate this milestone, our community faces extraordinary challenges. A record number of families across our region need basic necessities, stretching our resources to their limits. St. MAM has already distributed all utility assistance available for the end of the year through our current LG&E grant, but donations from supporters can help us respond to future needs and continue assisting neighbors facing utility crises.
This crisis is reaching neighbors who never imagined they would need help. Recently, a 43-year-old woman contacted us for rental assistance after a sudden diagnosis of chronic heart failure left her overwhelmed by medical debt and unable to keep up with housing costs. At the same time, high gas prices and unexpected car repairs are leaving other local families without reliable transportation, cutting them off from work and essential services, including our supplemental food pantry.
Our Give for Good Louisville success proves what is possible when this community comes together. But the work is far from over. As winter approaches, your continued support can help keep the lights on, families in their homes to celebrate the holidays, and neighbors connected to the resources they need. Together, we can turn generosity into stability and hope.
How You Can Help
Be part of what happens next—act today. Your gift can keep the lights on, help a family remain safely housed, and connect a neighbor to essential services when they need them most. If you have a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF), please make a donation this Thursday. If you do not have a DAF, you can make a meaningful impact at any time by donating directly at www.stmam.com. Give today. Share this message. Invite someone else to join you. When we act together, generosity becomes stability, dignity, and hope for our neighbors.
| | | | |
With gratitude,
Julie Abbott
Executive Director
julieabbott@stmam.com
(502) 893-0205 x 101
| | |
Through August, in 2026 we have already compassionately served...
303 Unique Households in the Food Pantry (vs. YTD 280 in 2025)(with 990 pantry appointments / deliveries)
138 Households with Rent Assistance (vs. YTD 106 in 2025)
224 Households with Utilities Assistance (vs. YTD 183 in 2025)
200 Children with Essentials for Infants & Toddlers (vs. YTD 158 in 2025)
All made possible by four staff, generous donors, and 5,660 hours of service from dedicated volunteers.
| | Join us for Medicare Bingo! | | |
Navigating health insurance doesn’t have to feel like a guessing game. To help you get ready for the upcoming Medicare Open Enrollment period (October 15 – December 7), St. MAM is teaming up with Providence Insurance and JenCare for an informative (and fun) educational session.
Get answers to your biggest questions and learn the basics of Parts A, B, C, and D through a lively round of Medicare Bingo!
Whether you are signing up for the first time or looking to review your current plan, this event will give you the tools you need to make confident choices for your health.
Take control of your coverage before the deadline. Bring your questions, bring a neighbor, and let’s secure your peace of mind together! RSVP TODAY by scanning either QR CODE and SHARE with a friend or two.
| | Create Some Fundholder Magic this Thursday! (10/8) | | |
We’re excited to share our participation in DAF Day 2026. This Thursday, October 8th, is a national giving day dedicated to activating more donor advised fund capital for critical causes like ours.
A Donor-Advised Fund (or DAF) is a charitable savings account (like a 401k for giving). If you have a DAF account, you already have funds set aside for charitable giving! (They can be used for no other purpose.)
♥ So, on this Thursday, as account holders across the country allocate these fund, please remember St. MAM! ♥
All you need to do is to sign up on DAFday.com in support of St. Matthews Area Ministries and commit to making a DAF gift to us on October 8th. To do so, click the button below or scan the QR code above.
Let us know of any questions and thank you for your support!
**Please note: St. Matthews Area Ministries MAY NOT appear on the charity option page until Wednesday. Please check back if it is not there when you first explore the site. **
| | Put Together a Thanksgiving Meal for Our Neighbors | | |
Fall is upon us, which means we start thinking about gathering with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving — and we are happy to partner with Beargrass Christian Church once again for our annual Thanksgiving "Basket" Collection.
Together, we can make sure that every family in our neighborhoods can celebrate a delicious meal with their loved ones.
Want to help? There are several ways to pitch in.
♥ Put together a basket and bring it to Beargrass Christian Church on November 8. All instructions are in the flyer and above.
♥ Donate financially for the gift cards for families to purchase the fresh items. Just click the link below.
♥ Hang our flyer at your work or organization to encourage others to participate.
| | Support Our Annual Holiday Sponsor-A-Child Program | | |
Experience the magic of the holiday season by helping families in our community!
St. MAM invites everyone to sponsor local children in need by providing shopping gift cards to enrolled neighbor-clients.
By empowering parents and guardians to choose meaningful gifts that reflect individual traditions, your generosity helps honor the season in a way that is personal and special for each family.
Drop your gift cards by our office anytime through Wednesday, November 25 - or donate online by using the button below and let us purchase them for you!
Thanks for helping us make the holiday season brighter for our families!
| |
| | |
Joyce L. has been volunteering with St. MAM for several years. Every Tuesday morning, you will find her in our pantry, sorting, dating, and shelving donations. With warmth and her signature smile, she helps ensure that our distribution volunteers are ready to serve our neighbors.
And we are thrilled to celebrate that Joyce was a Gold Standard of Optimal Aging Honoree at the 2026 U of L Trager Institute of Optimal Aging Awards!
In addition to all of her dedicated work with us, Joyce, who is 88 years young, served several terms as past Mayor of Beechwood Village, sings with Silver Notes, and is actively involved at St. Andrew UCC.
You're an inspiration, Joyce! We are so grateful to have you on our team!
| | | | |
More Thanks & Fun Things
In Development ♥
| | |
Friends and supporters,
After Give for Good, we have so many of you individuals to thank, and I look forward to reaching out to all of our incredible donors soon. Here, though, I want to acknowledge some groups who recently stepped up in meaningful ways:
♥ The kids of the Notre Dame Club of Greater Louisville put together awesome birthday celebration kits at their most recent game watch party. Thanks to their kindness, 25 households will be having birthday cake and decorations on a family member's special day! Thank you!
♥ Farm Credit Mid-America worked their tails off for St. MAM as part of the Dare 2 Care Food Fight Day. They rolled up their sleeves and moved & deep-cleaned behind heavy freezers, rotated lots of frozen product, overcame major hurdles to get our gazebo roof securely in place, and unloaded & organized our USDA products. Thank you!
♥ Love 40207 brought us individually packaged detergent for over 2,000 loads of laundry, massively augmenting the goods in our hygiene section of the pantry. They also recently did house repairs for several of our home-owning neighbor-clients. Thank you!
♥ Tin Roof hosted and lots of great teams showed up and showed out at our second benefit Dinner & Trivia Night. It was another stupendously fun night, which kept giving back well after the night ended. Two members of our winning team The Horsemen also took first and second place in the Give for Good trivia contest, earning $1,325 for our missions! Thank you to Avery and Lesley and all the awesome trivia teams!
In the next several weeks, we have some exciting new initiatives coming to fruition. Keep an eye out, and join in when you can.
☺Next week we look forward to meeting new friends and playing Plinko again at our second St. MAM Week at St. Matthews Baseball. If you're at the ballfields, bring some items for the pantry and come say hello!
☺By the beginning of next month, we will have launched a new online SWAG shop, offering logoed hoodies, vests, sweatshirts, and more to keep you warm and looking good this fall and winter, all while supporting our vital work.
☺And from now until December 1, I will be seeking sponsors and auction items for our December 8 Holiday Dinner & Trivia Night (see below). Do you have theatre, concert, or game tickets you would like to send our way? Or how about some time at your vacation home? Please reach out. Your gift is tax-deductible AND will make a difference, sending us into 2027 with the emergency financial assistance funds that our neighbors desperately need.
Finally, if you have some time, please consider giving St. MAM a Google review and clicking to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. It all helps us spread the word about the important work we do.
| | | | |
Warmest wishes,
Nicki Murphy
Director of Development
nickimurphy@stmam.com
(502) 893-0205 ext 106
Learn more by visiting our website.
| | Save the Date: Holiday Trivia Party | | |
We will be concluding our 2026 Tin Roof Dinner & Trivia Nights with a fun-filled holiday extravaganza! You won't want to miss this one!
Not only will the trivia be holiday-themed, we will be having ugly sweater and most festive costume contests, a fabulous silent auction that will help you cross off lots of loved ones on your holiday shopping list, complimentary festive noshes that will warm your tummy, and just possibly even get a surprise visit from a holiday icon!
| | Photos of St. MAM in Action | | Tuesday, September 1 - Dinner & Trivia Night | | Friday, September 18 - Dare to Care Food Fight | | |
Since 1972, St Matthews Area Ministries has been a cornerstone of Louisville’s 40207 community, serving residents facing chronic or episodic hardships. As a collaborative member of Louisville’s Association of Community Ministries (ACM), St. MAM also began serving half of the 40220 area in 2019. To our neighbors who need it most, St. MAM provides emergency financial assistance, helping to prevent utility disconnections and evictions. With a well-stocked food pantry, it ensures that no neighbor goes hungry, offering fresh produce, proteins, non-perishable items, and personal care supplies. Through an early essentials room and seasonal drives, St. MAM equips parents and caregivers with necessary items for our infants and youth. Finally, through its numerous opportunities for individuals to serve, St. MAM provides purpose and meaningful work for hundreds of volunteers at all stages of life. By pulling together, St. MAM is creating a brighter future for the entire community.
If you or someone you know resides in 40207 or 40220 and needs help, please reach out. To make an appointment for the St. MAM food pantry, call 502-893-0205 from 9 am - 12 pm Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday. For assistance with Rent, LG&E, and Water, email sarahbanks@stmam.com.
For those who live in other areas of the Louisville Metro area, you may use the search tool below to find you local ministry.
Find Your Area Ministry
| | | |
Staff Contact Information
Julie Abbott, Executive Director
julieabbott(AT)stmam.com
Sarah Banks, Director of Family Services
sarahbanks(AT)stmam.com
Suzanne DeGregorio, Food Pantry & Volunteer Coordinator
suzannedegregorio(AT)stmam.com
Nicki Murphy, Director of Development
nickimurphy(AT)stmam.com
| | | | | |
