Our Philoptochos Chapter officially kicked off the Holiday Season with our ANNUAL THANKSGIVING LUNCHEON on Sunday, November 10th, a tradition for over 60 years and one of our favorite parish events. The proceeds from our luncheon enable our Chapter to support our community through charitable outreach, most especially our very own Kids ‘n` Cancer Ministry.
I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Tasos and Julie Kargianides. Our Thanksgiving Luncheon was completely underwritten by their generous gift and loving spirit. Taso & Julie, your continued support of Philoptochos and our local efforts is beyond appreciated. I want to thank the “heart of the house” under the leadership of Vicky Mellos. Her dream team was busy cooking for a week to make our delicious lunch possible. Thank you to Niki Dougenis, Julie Karagianides, Christina Marantos, Kelly Samouris, Stella Pappas, Dena Mellos, Angel Gilpin and Lucy Simitzes and all the ladies who worked so hard to prepare the delicious lunch we all enjoyed. A special thank you to Gus Mellos, Gus Demos, Andreas Capetanakis, Michael Platis, Demetri Pappas, and Christoforos Savvides – these men stepped in, did all the heavy lifting to make our jobs easier – we are forever grateful! And Melanie Anastopulos, Maria Stokes, Michelle Defelippi,and Marilyn Yeatts, Thank you! These ladies and their team decorated, took your reservations, and made our raffle possible – our community is blessed to have so many generous volunteers!
We also celebrated Veterans Day at the Thanksgiving Luncheon, by recognizing our own St. Spyridon military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. In attendance were Stephan Barrington, Alex Cremidan, Michael Couris, Michael Platis, George Stamatopoulos, Niko Stokes, Dr. George Tsopels, and Charles Theodore. We thank each of you from the bottom of our hearts for your devotion, sacrifice, and service to the greatest country on earth, our beloved United States of America.
San Diego County is home to more than 100,000 active-duty service members and 240,000 veterans, making it one of the largest concentrations of military personnel in the country. It is my pleasure to announce that our Anthousa Chapter has recently established a Military Ministry under the direction of Jennifer Simpson. Our ministry will align with the goals and initiatives of our Metropolis and National Philoptochos. It is our goal to support our brave service men and women have made great sacrifices to serve our country and to protect all of us.
FEEDING THE HUNGRY - The foundation of our local Anthousa Philoptochos Chapter is to support our church community and beyond through ongoing year-round activities. We extend a heartfelt thank you to Andreas Capetanakis and his team for their dedicated work with “FOCUS” Charity, preparing 150-200 meals monthly for the homeless in San Diego. Last month, Andreas hosted a group of Coronado High School students eager to perform community outreach as part of their Feeding San Diego Club. He reported that it was not only great to have their help but also fulfilling to assist them in their outreach project. Andreas plans to expand the ways we can serve our impoverished neighbors. Be on the lookout for a large receptacle in our church hall where you can drop off much-needed toiletries, blankets, and gently used or new clothing and athletic shoes. The mission of FOCUS is to serve the poor by bringing together Orthodox Christian churches and community partners to provide Food, Occupation, Clothing, and Shelter. We continue to support FOCUS’s efforts on a monthly basis. Looking for ways to help? Please contact Andreas Capetanakis at (619) 948-0902. You may make a monetary donation toward these efforts by going to Our Store on our website and clicking General Donation.
AGAPE MEALS - are offered to our community members during difficult times. If you know of a family in need or are interested in volunteering in providing meals, please reach out to Marian Dougenis at 619.520.3660 or mkdougenis@prodigy.net
SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP: Please consider sponsoring a Sunday Fellowship Hour with your friends and family by providing simple refreshments (donuts, bagels, fruit and juice). You can honor family members or celebrate special occasions. To sign up, please contact Christina Frangos at christinafrangos1@gmail.com.
ICON ADORNMENT: Philoptochos invites every family to commemorate a special Feast Day in honor of your someone special by offering a donation to cover the cost of decorating the icon with beautiful fresh flowers for display in the Church Narthex. The liturgical year presents many opportunities to honor your family member and an important day in the life of the Church (suggested donation is $85). Please contact Soula in the church office at 619.297-4165 or office@stspyridon.org to reserve your date now.
COLLEGE CONNECTION: Do you have a college-aged student in your family? Our chapter keeps your child connected with their faith and home church. Please send contact information to Bill Navrides at Bill.Navrides@sharp.com.
PLEASE SAVE THESE DATES:
Sunday, December 8th– Philoptochos Christmas Luncheon
Monday, December 16th– Angels Christmas Party
Sunday, January 5th - Vasilopita Cutting
We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events and your participation in our ongoing Philoptochos efforts.
In Christ,
Sofia Samouris
Anthousa Chapter President
619-518-4537