Congratulations to the 2025 grant recipients, whose projects were selected to receive funding from the St. John’s Market Under the Stars Grants committee, and approved by the church Vestry.

The Alliance Française de Tallahassee
The Alliance Française de Tallahassee’s mission is to encourage and develop knowledge of the French language and francophone cultures globally and to foster cultural, intellectual and artistic understanding and relationships between the people of the Tallahassee / North Florida region and all French-speaking communities of Florida, Louisiana, French-speaking Canada, France, African Countries, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific, South America, and all other French-speaking places in the world.

The grant awarded will go towards teacher development and local engagement.

Big Bend AFTER Reentry Coalition
A coalition of individuals and groups united to increase public safety and reduce recidivism through collaborating and establishing community partnerships.

The grant awarded will go towards tuition for 10 formerly incarcerated persons to attend anger management classes.

Big Bend Hospice
Positively impacting the way our community experiences serious illness or grief, by supporting individuals and their loved ones in the Big Bend.

The grant awarded will go towards essential patient care and comfort improvements at the Dozier Inpatient Unit.

The Blessing Cup
The Blessing Cup helps to improve the quality of life of the elderly poor in Leon County, Florida, by providing shelter, food, or clothing and by providing financial assistance.

The grant awarded will go towards Christmas gifts for 125 elderly in Leon County who are in need.

Elder Care Services
Elder Care Services is the leading provider of community-based senior care. 

The grant awarded will go towards a new freezer for the main office’s food pantry.

Forgotten Coast K-9
Forgotten Coast K-9 is deeply committed to making a positive impact within the hero community by addressing the distressing rate of Veteran and First Responder suicides. Their main focus is to help provide individuals with highly trained service dogs along with comprehensive education and support.

The grant awarded will go towards completing repairs to property damaged by hurricanes.

Holocaust Education Resource Council
Providing instructional guidance, support and resources for educators who teach the history of the Holocaust, and educational programs for the community at-large.

The grant awarded will go towards a field trip for students to the Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg, FL.

Humble House
The Humble House Ministries is a faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing sober living homes for women in recovery.

The grant awarded will go towards a kitchen renovation for an addiction recovery transition facility for women.

Ghazvini Learning Center
The mission of The Ghazvini Learning Center is to create a unique and adaptable educational environment that will meet the needs and aspirations of our students

The grant awarded will go towards the creation of a safe and calming room for students experiencing anxiety and stress.

Goodwood Museum and Gardens
Goodwood Museum & Gardens connects our community as a setting where we preserve and share our history, enjoy the arts, and celebrate significant events in our lives.

The grant awarded will go towards the support of the Blended Lives Program for 4th graders.

KidSafe
KidSafe plays an important role in helping to reduce childhood injuries and death in the local communities of the Big Bend area of North Florida by providing adaptable safety seats to families with low incomes. 

The grant awarded will go towards providing child safety seats for children living in low-income households.

Safe Families for Children
Safe Families for Children’s goal is to engage families via faith communities to open their homes to care for vulnerable children.

The grant awarded will go towards providing safety seats for newborns at TMH NICU.

Second Harvest of the Big Bend
Second Harvest of the Big bend is a nonprofit food bank that collects and distributes food to hunger-relief charities, and also through specialized programs and mobile food distributions undertaken with community partners.

The grant awarded will go towards the support of core food bank operations.

St. Francis Wildlife Association
St. Francis Wildlife Association provides humane care and rehabilitation for orphaned, injured and sick wildlife in North Florida and public education for our community.

The grant awarded will go towards replacing fencing damaged by storms for an enclosure to house fawns and other small mammals.

Tallahassee Bach Parley
Tallahassee Bach Parley provides concerts to the community and music education through the Bach Parley String Academy.

The grant awarded will go towards musical instrument accessories and materials.

Tallahassee Bail Fund
Tallahassee Bail Fund is a non-profit that pays bail for those who cannot afford it.

The grant awarded will go towards 20 pre-paid phones for use by persons waiting trial and out on bond.

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This fall, on Saturday, November 22, 6-9 PM, we will gather for Market Under the Stars, a festive celebration in Eve’s Garden and Alfriend Hall. With string lights twinkling overhead, experience the sounds of light jazz and laughter, and the joy of holiday shopping with purpose. This one-night-only event will blend the most meaningful elements of our historic St. John’s Market—dating back to the late 1800s—with the warmth of fellowship and the spirit of giving.

With our traditional holiday bazaar on hiatus this year, Market Under the Stars offers a joyful and meaningful alternative—a chance to come together to support outreach ministries and honor the legacy of generosity that has defined St. John’s for generations.

In addition to Chef Fran’s delicious hors d’oeurves and festive music, guests will have the opportunity to enjoy a silent auction, and Market favorites, such as:

• Handmade Gifts & Jewelry
• Holiday Centerpieces & Arrangements
• Sauces, Jams, & Jellies
• Homemade Chili & Cornbread To Go
• Sweet Treats, Cakes & Pies 

Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 after November 16. Your $40 ticket reflects the real cost of the event and the outreach it supports. Feeling generous? Feel free to give more in the donation box provided! If $40 is a stretch for you, we invite you to contact a member of the clergy in confidence. We want every St. John’s parishioner to be part of this joyful evening. (All tickets will be $50 after November 16.)

Sign up to be a volunteer or inquire about sponsorship opportunities below!

Note: Ticket purchases are processed through Zeffy, a platform designed for non-profits. During checkout, Zeffy may ask if you’d like to “Help keep Zeffy free for St. John’s Episcopal Church” by adding a small contribution. This is optional. To contribute, choose a percentage you’re comfortable with. To skip, simply select “Other” and enter $0.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Do you enjoy baking?

One of our most popular booths, featuring Sweet Treats, Cakes & Pies, is back! Sign up below to bring us your freshly baked breads, cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, and candies; anything to satisfy someone’s sweet tooth.

Jewelry Donations

We are collecting donations of costume and fine jewelry to sell at the Jewelry Booth. This is a great time to clean out your jewelry boxes and share your treasures that you are no longer wearing. Your donations will help fund the outreach dollars we give to our community.

We are limiting donations to ONLY JEWELRY this year.  We will not be accepting accessories such as scarves and handbags.

You are welcome to drop items off in the collection bin in the Church Office.

Interested in being a sponsor?

We invite you to play a vital role in Market Under the Stars by joining us as an event sponsor. Your support will not only sustain the cherished tradition of St. John’s Market, but will also strengthen our parish and extend care to those in need through our outreach ministries. Click here to see the organizations who received a Market grant last year!

Sponsorship opportunities are available at a variety of levels, each with meaningful benefits and recognition. We would be honored to highlight your generosity in our event materials and throughout this special evening. Here are the three levels of sponsorship:

For any questions about sponsorship, please reach out to David Campbell, Fundraising Chair (850-545-9836) or fill out the interest form below (you can download the form, fill it out and return it to the office OR fill it out online and we’ll get in touch with you)—we would love to share how your partnership can make a lasting impact.

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St. John’s Market has been a cherished tradition since the late 1800s, bringing joy, fellowship, and generosity to our parish and the wider community. As we look toward 2025 and beyond, we’re taking a thoughtful pause to reimagine what Market can be—not because anything is wrong, but because we want this beloved event to thrive for generations to come. Below are answers to common questions about this year’s plans and the discernment ahead. Click here to watch Fr. Lonnie’s May 25 sermon where he preaches about St. John’s Market 2025 and beyond.

Q: What’s changing with Market this year?

For 2025, we’re taking a one-year pause from the traditional, full-scale Market. Instead, we’ll host a one-night-only event that combines the most joyful and meaningful parts of Market and the Preview Party in a simpler, more sustainable format.

Q: Why the pause?

The classic Market—especially the garage-sale-style elements like books, attic goods, and furnishings—has become increasingly complex and time-intensive over the last few decades. Organizing it requires months of year-round effort and a heavy volunteer lift, which has become harder to sustain.

Q: Is Market going away for good?

Not at all. This is simply a pause for 2025. There’s no decision yet about how Market will look in 2026 or beyond. As a parish, we will use this time in 2025 to reflect, regroup, and imagine what Market can look like in the future.

Q: What will the 2025 event look like?

We’re envisioning something like “Market Under the Stars” (name still TBD):

• One festive evening in both Alfriend and Eve’s Garden
• String lights, music, and great food
• Holiday shopping, silent auction, and perhaps even some live auction!
• Featuring:
  • Artisan goods and jewelry
  • Florals and plants
  • Jams, jellies, pies, and cakes
  • Honor cards, allowing guests to make donations to outreach ministries in honor of a loved one
  • Fellowship, conversation, and fun

Q: What won’t be included this year?

This year’s event will not include the garage-sale-style items: no books, dishes, trinkets, or furnishings. These are the pieces that require the most volunteer hours and space year-round.

Q: Will you still need volunteers?

Absolutely. Volunteer support will still be essential. More details on how to get involved will be shared in the coming months.

Q: Are you still taking donations?

For 2025, we are not receiving material goods like dishes, furnishings, or books.

Q: Will the 2025 event be open to the public?

Yes! It will be a ticketed event at an accessible price, open to all. We’ll spread the word through local media and social platforms. Unlike past preview parties, items will be sold at their regular prices—not marked up.

Q: Why not just ask for more volunteers?

This isn’t a simple logistics issue; it’s an adaptive challenge. Volunteer availability and energy have shifted over the years, and so have people’s patterns of giving, serving, and buying. This moment calls for listening, creativity, and care, not just a new signup sheet.

Q: Who made this decision?

Since there’s no formal Market committee, the Vestry made the decision based on a recommendation from a subcommittee they appointed after reviewing the current challenges. As part of our plans for 2026 and beyond, we plan to form a dedicated steering team—closer to the ground—to help carry Market forward and guide future adaptive decisions.

Q: How will the parish be involved in discerning Market’s future?

We’ll share more in the fall about how the discernment process will unfold. This will be a parish-wide conversation, with opportunities to listen, share, and shape the future of Market together.

Q: How can I share my thoughts or ideas?

We’d love to hear from you. Please reach out to Senior Warden Leslie Redding if you have questions, insights, or inspiration.

Q: What’s the bigger picture?

We want Market to thrive, not just this year, but for generations to come. This lighter-lift version in 2025 gives us space to rest, reflect, and reimagine for the long-term future. The process is just beginning, and it will be a parish-wide conversation.

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St. John’s would like to extend a big “Thank you” to our team of market volunteers who baked, knitted, curated, donated, organized, and more! You helped make 2024’s St. John’s Market a wonderful success. The 2024 St. John’s Market took in $31.4K after expenses, which enabled us to award $15.7K in grants to local organizations. The remaining $15.7K will help support St. John’s mission, programs, and ministries.

Congratulations to the 2024 grant recipients, whose projects were selected to receive funding from the St. John’s Market Grants committee, and approved by the church Vestry.

2024 GRANT RECIPIENTS:

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will go towards funding spay/neuter vouchers.

Visit their website to learn how Be the Solution is dedicated to preventing the cycle of suffering for unwanted pets living in shelters and on the street by promoting and facilitating affordable spay and neuter surgeries.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help provide winter supplies for many people living in Tallahassee.

Visit the Beyond the Pantry’s website to learn about this Tallahassee-based non-profit that sources and
shares basic-needs products: the expensive necessities of life beyond food that many of us take for granted.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will go towards their peer support program activities.

Visit the Big Bend AFTER (A Fight To End Recidivism) Reentry Coalition website to learn more about how they are working to increase public safety and reduce recidivism through collaborating and establishing community partnerships, identifying and providing services to currently and formerly incarcerated people, empowering them to become proactive, self-sufficient members of the community.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help purchase items to better serve their patients.

Visit the Big Bend Hospice website to learn how they are positively impacting the way our community experiences serious illness or grief, by supporting individuals and their loved ones in the Big Bend.

Visit the Blessing Cup of Tallahassee’s website to learn how they help to improve the quality of life of the elderly poor in Leon County, Florida, by providing shelter, food, or clothing and by providing financial assistance.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help rebuild and replace kennels damaged in Hurricane Helene.

Visit Forgotten Coast K9’s website website to learn how they are deeply committed to making a positive impact within the hero community by addressing the distressing rate of Veteran and First Responder suicides. Their main focus is to help provide individuals with highly trained service dogs along with comprehensive education and support.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will fund the Blended Lives Project which will help over 3000 Leon County School students learn about ethnic and racial harmony.

Visit the Goodwood Museum & Garden website to learn more about this historical site in Tallahassee.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will fund the CARE Program which includes care packages, travel and utilities, and grief counseling.

Visit the Hang Tough Foundation’s website to learn how the Hang Tough Foundation offers resources and encouragement to families during their journey with childhood illness and special needs.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help furnish a recreation space and lounge for their residents.

Visit Independence Landing’s website to learn about this not-for-profit corporation, the mission of which is to build, own, and operate an affordable safe, planned residential community for adults with varying intellectual and/or developmental disabilities allowing residents to successfully lead independent and fulfilled lives.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will fund KidSafe’s Look Before You Lock marketing materials as they expand into Gadsden County.

Visit KidSafe’s website to learn how they play an important role in helping to reduce childhood injuries and death in the local communities of the Big Bend area of North Florida by providing adaptable safety seats to families with low incomes.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will fund baby showers for six expectant refugee families.

Visit That’s Neighborly’s website to learn more about how their vision to deinstitutionalize charity by helping you become friends with those at a disadvantage, thus, making poverty personal.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will fund metal enclosures to help quarantine and keep the wild animals safe from disease.

Visit the St. Francis Wildlife Association website to learn how they provide humane care and rehabilitation for orphaned, injured and sick wildlife in North Florida and public education for our community.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help with food distribution of no-cost meals to low-income and food insecure children and families throughout the Big Bend.

Visit the Second Harvest of the Big Bend website to learn how this nonprofit food bank collects and distributes food to hunger-relief charities, and also through specialized programs and mobile food distributions undertaken with community partners.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help source new instruments for their students.

Visit the Tallahassee Bach Parley website to learn more about this organization that provides concerts to the community and music education through the Bach Parley String Academy.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help support their Restorative Justice Program.

Visit the Tallahassee Bail Fund website to learn about their mission to pay bail for those who cannot afford it.

The post 2024 Market Grant Recipients appeared first on St. John's Episcopal Church.

While this annual holiday bazaar is a popular fellowship and community-building event, it is also one of St. John’s largest outreach projects. Market proceeds support both parish ministries and community organizations. Each year, 50 percent of the money raised at our annual Market is designated for outreach and is awarded to organizations that address a current critical need in the community. The grants can be used for supplies, educational materials, equipment, or infrastructure for non-profit organizations. Past market grants have been awarded to agencies such as the Alzheimer’s Project, Big Bend Hospice, Boy’s Town North Florida, Elder Care Services, Habitat for Humanity, The Kearney Center, Second Harvest, Grace Mission, Oasis Center for Women & Girls, Tallahassee Bail Fund, and more.

This year’s deadline for grant submissions is November 18, 2024. Notification of grant awards will be made the week before Christmas and checks will be cut and mailed before December 31, 2024.

Please direct all questions about Market Grants to Holly Sinco, Administrator for the Clergy & Engagement.

The post 2024 Market Grant Applications Available appeared first on St. John's Episcopal Church.

St. John’s would like to extend a big “Thank you” to our team of market volunteers who baked, knitted, curated, donated, organized, and more! You helped make 2023’s St. John’s Market a wonderful success. The 2023 St. John’s Market took in $27.5K after expenses, which enabled us to award $14.5K in grants to local organizations. The remaining $12.9K will help support St. John’s mission, programs, and ministries.

Congratulations to the 2023 grant recipients, whose projects were selected to receive funding from the St. John’s Market Grants committee, and approved by the church Vestry.

2023 GRANT RECIPIENTS:

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will go towards funding 400 lunches to be served at their Respite Lunch which aims to enhance social interactions and nutritious food.

Visit their website to learn how the Alzheimer’s Project provides comfort, support, and assistance to persons with memory disorders and their caregivers across the Big Bend area.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will go towards helping people access government required documents and identification, employment, and all the essentials needed to assist in their re-entry into the community.

Visit the Big Bend AFTER (A Fight To End Recidivism) Reentry Coalition website to learn more about how they are working to increase public safety and reduce recidivism through collaborating and establishing community partnerships, identifying and providing services to currently and formerly incarcerated people, empowering them to become proactive, self-sufficient members of the community.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help furnish the chapel in their new in-patient hospice program at TMH.

Visit the Big Bend Hospice website to learn how they are positively impacting the way our community experiences serious illness or grief, by supporting individuals and their loved ones in the Big Bend.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help establish a recreational fund for their family home campus which encompasses 28 families.

Visit the Boys Town North Florida website to learn how they help children and families heal and grow in mind, body, and spirit.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will fund the Blended Lives Project which will help over 3000 Leon County School students learn about ethnic and racial harmony.

Visit the Goodwood Museum & Garden website to learn more about this historical site in Tallahassee.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help fund their first printed yearbooks.

Visit the Havana Magnet School website to learn how they are working to achieve a legacy of developing young minds that utilize critical thinking skills to creatively approach challenges and embrace diversity.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help support school field trips to the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg, FL.

Visit the Holocaust Education Resource Council website to learn how they provide instructional guidance, support and resources for educators who teach the history of the Holocaust, and educational programs that engage the community at-large.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will fund the KidSafe Look Before You Lock program.

Visit the Lutheran Social Services of North Florida, Inc. website to learn how they operate five very different community outreach programs that share an important commonality… the ability to help those facing hardships stabilize their lives and earn a fresh start.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help replenish the Oasis Center’s emergency closet (clothing, personal items, etc.) to assist single mothers experiencing financial crisis.

Visit the Oasis Center for Women & Girls to learn how their community resource center brings women and girls together to dream, achieve, and thrive.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will fund their weekly market program which helps supply their students with clothing, backpacks, and self-care items.

Visit the Augusta Raa Arts Magnet Middle School website to learn how they provide an educational setting designed to prepare students to be successful lifelong learners.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will fund metal enclosures to help quarantine and keep the wild animals safe from disease.

Visit the St. Francis Wildlife Association website to learn how they provide humane care and rehabilitation for orphaned, injured and sick wildlife in North Florida and public education for our community.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help with food distribution of no-cost meals to low-income and food insecure children and families throughout the Big Bend.

Visit the Second Harvest of the Big Bend website to learn how this nonprofit food bank collects and distributes food to hunger-relief charities, and also through specialized programs and mobile food distributions undertaken with community partners.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will fund the KONG Project which gives each animal specialized attention and enrichment.

Visit the Tallahassee Animal Shelter Foundation website to learn how, through the help of community events and donations, to make a positive difference in the lives of homeless animals.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help expand the organization’s sheet music library and source instrument part replacements.

Visit the Tallahassee Bach Parley website to learn more about this organization that provides concerts to the community and music education through the Bach Parley String Academy.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will fund 20 post-release care packages designed for those who have limited financial resources, housing instability, and health issues.

Visit the Tallahassee Bail Fund website to learn about their mission to pay bail for those who cannot afford it.

The post 2023 Market Grant Recipients appeared first on St. John's Episcopal Church.

While this annual holiday bazaar is a popular fellowship and community-building event, it is also one of St. John’s largest outreach projects. Market proceeds support both parish ministries and community organizations. Each year, 50 percent of the money raised at our annual Market is designated for outreach and is awarded to organizations that address a current critical need in the community. The grants can be used for supplies, educational materials, equipment, or infrastructure for non-profit organizations. Past market grants have been awarded to agencies such as the Alzheimer’s Project, Big Bend Hospice, ECHO, Elder Care Services, Bach Parley String Academy, Habitat for Humanity, The Kearney Center, Second Harvest, Grace Mission, Oasis Center for Women & Girls, and more.

This year’s deadline for grant submissions is November 15, 2023. The grant request form and criteria for submissions can be viewed and downloaded below. Notification of grant awards will be made the week before Christmas and checks will be cut and mailed before December 31, 2023.

Please direct all questions about Market Grants to Mark Ascani, Parish Administrator.

The post 2023 Market Grant Applications Available appeared first on St. John's Episcopal Church.

The St. John’s Market—our annual holiday bazaar—is coming up on Saturday, November 18, 2023. While Market always features artisan crafts, baked goods, live plants, jams and jellies, and holiday arrangements that are prepared lovingly by St. John’s parishioners and friends, we DO rely on donations from the community to provide the wares for most of our booths.

Again this year, we’re making it easier than ever to donate by offering three drop-off days! The former St. John’s Bookstore location will serve as our main storage point for Market donations. On our convenient drop-off days (9/30, 10/14, and 10/28, from 8 AM to 12 PM), you can bring treasures directly to the bookstore where volunteers will be on hand to help you unload!

Needed items include books, jewelry, collectibles, housewares, china, and gently-used children’s items, sports memorabilia, camping and fishing gear, and more! Our full booth list and inventory of current needs can be found on the St. John’s Market website.

Please contact the church office during business hours if you are not able to bring your donations on the designated drop-off days. Below is a list of items that the St. John’s Market cannot accept.

• Used board games and puzzles (swallowing hazard and pieces are often missing)
• Baby items including strollers, carriages, high chairs, cribs or play pens and car seats
• Bikes, scooters and other riding toys
• Electronics with missing parts, and/or items that are not compatible with contemporary operating systems (we prefer late-model electronics that are in good working order).
• Adult clothing/shoes
• Broken items (please especially check tools and electric appliances to ensure they work!)
• Gasoline-powered items
• Firearms, ammunition, or any type of explosives
• Flammable items such as lamps with oil
• Furniture (will accept small items that can be carried by one person)
• Window blinds or shades
• Soiled linens or bedspreads
• Soiled stuffed animals

The post Market 2023 Donation Days appeared first on St. John's Episcopal Church.

The 2022 St. John’s Market was a huge success, thanks to the hard work of our team of volunteers who baked, knitted, curated, donated, organized, and more! The 2022 St. John’s Market took in $32K after expenses, which enabled us to award $16K in grants to local organizations. The remaining $16K will help support St. John’s mission, programs, and ministries.

Congratulations to the 2022 grant recipients, whose projects were selected to receive funding from the St. John’s Market Grants committee, and approved by the church Vestry.

2022 GRANT RECIPIENTS:

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market purchased a sleeper chair to be used by caregivers and support partners in one of the facility’s in-patient rooms.

Visit the Big Bend Hospice website to learn how they are positively impacting the way our community experiences serious illness or grief, by supporting individuals and their loved ones in the Big Bend.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will purchase 25 e-readers to use for the Boys Town Book Club.

Visit the Boys Town North Florida website to learn how they help children and families heal and grow in mind, body, and spirit.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market provides 15 dining tables for ECHO’s furniture bank, helping ECHO provide our re-housed neighbors with free basic furniture to eat, sit, and sleep comfortably.

Visit the ECHO of Tallahassee website to learn how this organization is helping reduce poverty by providing emergency resources and support services to people in need in the Big Bend.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will purchase 15 microwaves to support local senior citizens at high risk of food insecurity.

Visit the Elder Care Services, Inc. website to learn how they help improve the quality of life for seniors and their caregivers in the Big Bend.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help the organization relocate its food pantry location, increase produce items offered, reach the rural community in the Big Bend area, and offer food at the Maryland Oaks Crossing Food Pantry.

Visit the Good News Outreach website to learn more about this faith-based organization that helps all people have access to food, affordable housing, and companionship.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help the organization install fencing around the school to ensure the safety of special-needs (K-12) students during recess.

Visit the Impact Tallahassee website to learn how they provide a central location where families can receive high-quality therapeutic treatments for their children in one central location.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will provide up to 1,000 “Look Before you Lock” window clings to be distributed through the KidSafe program, helping prevent future tragic child deaths due to “forgotten baby syndrome.”

Visit the Lutheran Social Service of North Florida website to learn more about the KidSafe program, and the organization’s belief that all children deserve a safe ride to the opportunities and services that optimize healthy development. This is accomplished by providing new child safety seats for low-income families to keep their children safe.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help replenish the Oasis Center’s emergency fund to assist single mothers experiencing financial crisis.

Visit the Oasis Center for Women & Girls to learn how their community resource center brings women and girls together to dream, achieve, and thrive.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help with recent exponential growth in food distribution throughout the Big Bend.

Visit the Second Harvest of the Big Bend website to learn how this nonprofit food bank collects and distributes food to hunger-relief charities, and also through specialized programs and mobile food distributions undertaken with community partners.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help expand the organization’s sheet music library, purchase two small electronic piano keyboards to accompany students, and fund repairs so students can take advantage of donated instruments.

Visit the Tallahassee Bach Parley website to learn more about this organization that provides concerts to the community and music education through the Bach Parley String Academy.

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This year’s St. John’s Market was a huge success, thanks to the hard work of our extensive team of volunteers who baked, knitted, curated, donated, organized and more!

This year, we used the former bookstore and several of our newly renovated rooms on the main church campus. We were also blessed with beautiful weather on Market Day, which allowed checkout to take place outdoors. Everything was perfectly organized, thanks to this year’s Market Co-Chairs Taska Zorn and Lizbeth Childs. Thank you, ladies, for making this treasured event a success!

“It was so fun to have all the Market volunteers together again and it was our pleasure to open our doors to the community,” said Lizbeth Childs.

We received an overwhelming number of Market Grant applications this year. And despite the hardships of the pandemic, the 2021 St. John’s Market took in $28K after expenses, which enabled us to award $14K in grants to local organizations. The remaining $14K will help support St. John’s mission, programs, and ministries.

Congratulations to the 2021 grant recipients, whose projects were selected to receive funding from the St. John’s Market Grants committee, as approved by the church Vestry.

2021 GRANT RECIPIENTS:

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market covers one year of weekly music therapy at the Alzheimer’s Project’s newest respite location.

Visit the Alzheimer’s Project website to learn more about the wonderful things this organization is doing for caregivers in our community.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will cover electrical and plumbing repairs that are part of a Habitat warehouse renovation, a project that enables Habitat to provide on-the-job training and mentoring for local youth.

Visit the Big Bend Habitat for Humanity website to learn more about the wonderful things this organization is doing to changes lives and local communities through homeownership.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will provide robotic comfort pets, which are especially significant for BBH patients living with dementia.

Visit the Big Bend Hospice website to learn how they are positively impacting the way our community experiences serious illness or grief, by supporting individuals and their loved ones in the Big Bend.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will purchase lumber to build 20 dining tables for furniture recipients.

Visit the ECHO of Tallahassee website to learn how this organization is helping reduce poverty by providing emergency resources and support services to people in need in the Big Bend.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will purchase a smart TV and a popcorn maker for a “pod.” Due to COVID-19, ECS established pods to provide daily interaction for seniors in smaller groups. TVs keep the pods connected and involved in the same activities.

Visit the Elder Care Services, Inc. website to learn how they help improve the quality of life for seniors and their caregivers in the Big Bend.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will purchase a dozen air purifiers, tools that must be in place before Grace Mission can fully reopen.

Visit the Grace Mission Episcopal Church website to learn about the worship offerings, and programs and services, this organization provides to those in need in the Tallahassee community.

The award granted by the St. John’s Market will help provide temporary housing assistance for refugee families who have relocated to Tallahassee.

Visit the International Rescue Committee website to learn how they provide opportunities for refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, survivors of torture, and other immigrants to thrive in America.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market is for a car seat safety program, specifically to help develop an educational component with area partners, provide resources for hands-on events, and develop publicity pieces about car seat safety.

Visit the Lutheran Social Services of North Florida website to learn how this organization is helping develop and administer programs to address unmet social service needs in north Florida.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will fund memberships to the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) for ten Youth from St. Michael & All Angels.

Visit the St. Michael and All Angels and Union of Black Episcopalians websites to learn how this national organization gathers together Black Episcopalians and allies of like mind who support UBE’s anti-racism agenda.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help Survive and Thrive hire a planner to assist with strategic planning funding. Due to the pandemic and several shifts in services, STAC is at a pivotal point in its history where professional assistance is needed to help secure funding so the organization can continue assisting local survivors.

Visit the Survive & Thrive Advocacy Center website to see how this organization is providing direct aid and case management services to survivors of sex and labor trafficking.

The grant awarded by the St. John’s Market will help the Garden Club’s Buddleia Circle provide a shade covering at Conley Elementary School, the local school where the Tallahassee Garden Club has been working with educators and students to build an outdoor learning environment.

Visit the Tallahassee Garden Club website to learn about the many ways this organization sponsors and supports programs that enrich our community.

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This is the week when dozens of volunteers would typically be buzzing around church, preparing to host this beloved annual event, which has a long history at St. John’s. Here’s a look back at a few Market Memories. Hope they make you smile!

Thank you to Dennis Howard and Mother Abi for capturing these fun memories! Several of YOU sent in memories as well!

Below, Linda Carter reflected upon one of the newer Market booths to join the lineup. “The Man Cave” was an idea her late husband, Frank Carter brought to life. The booth was coordinated for several years by Frank, along with Roger Rumenik and David Wheeler. Thankfully, David says he will carry the torch, hosting the Man Cave when Market is held next.

“Frank would come and help wherever he was needed. He began to notice that most men who were not involved with the market were just following their wives around, looking totally bored. In 2011, Frank decided that the men needed something of interest to look at while visiting the market. He created the Man Cave.” – Linda Carter

We have some great photos of our chicken pilau chefs in Eve’s Garden. Shelby and Dan Augustyniak recently took over these duties with help from the couple who started this Market booth, John and Teresa Dean. The Augustyniaks use John’s cookers and recipe to carry on the tradition! How did the Deans come up with their recipe? Teresa shares below in her own words.

There’s no pilau to buy this year, but John and Teresa are sharing the recipe! They’ve reduced the 10-gallon recipe to a 2.5-gallon recipe that they say can be cooked on your kitchen stove. All you need is a large pot of any kind. If anyone is interested in giving it a try, simply email John and Teresa Dean and they’ll send you the recipe.

Last but certainly not least, is a wonderful reflection on the growth of the Outdoor Garden booth from longtime chair Linda Harkey, and some amazing photos from our 1987 St. John’s Market, shared by Virginia Perkins.

What great Market Memories!

Over the past ten years, the Outdoor Garden has grown from several dozen plants that filled two benches along the walkway in Eve’s Garden to hundreds of bedding plants, shrubs, house plants and trees that cover the walkway and a fourth of the garden. As shoppers leave the bustle of Alfriend Hall and come into Eve’s Garden, they reminisce about plants they or their ancestors once had. They talk about new situations—retiring and downsizing, moving to live with a grandparent, or setting up a garden after moving to Tallahassee for a new job. After the Market, the remaining plants go to other Tallahasseans in transition—to Habitat for Humanity and to the International Rescue Committee. The most enjoyable part of the Outdoor Garden for me is seeing how much St. John’s parishioners love plants and how important gardens are in people’s lives.

– Linda Harkey

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