Full of Grace Ministry

This service ministry (formerly known as the Five Oaks Initiative) is inspired by the dedication of long-time members of OLG parish and the Marianist family in continuing Mary’s mission of bringing Jesus into the world. The vision is for this ministry to help address the spiritual, social, educational, economic, and physical and mental health needs of our neighbors in Five Oaks.

In late 2022, we established a partnership with Our Lady of Grace Parish called Full of Grace Ministries through which we work collaboratively with three neighborhood-based organizations: Food for the Journey Project (FJP), Five Oaks Neighborhood Improvement Association (FONIA) and Unity Gardens.

Through the Dayton Marianist Family Council, we are committed to supporting Full of Grace Ministries through these established programs:

Food for the Journey Project: This program offers a hot meal to neighbors on Tuesday afternoons. Marianist communities and individuals can support this effort by volunteering to help prepare and serve the meal from 2 – 5:30 pm. Some members of the Marianist Family and Our Lady of Grace parishioners provide prayerful accompaniment during the meal, while other communities sign up to fill respite bags of shelf-stable food and hygiene items to be distributed along with the FJP meal.

Five Oaks Neighborhood Improvement Association is another partner in the Full of Grace Ministries and this organization’s focus is exactly what the name implies. Currently, Marianist family members are encouraged to help with Neighborhood Clean-ups that happen 2-3 times during the Spring and Summer, or volunteer at Wednesday Bingo—an additional social experience for anyone in the neighborhood, and especially the people who attend the FJP meal.

Unity Gardens is a community garden program started and supported by Kettering Health Grandview employee, Bruce Kidney, and is located at 108 Neal Avenue. There are many opportunities throughout the summer to help with gardening during the summer months. Look for opportunities listed in our monthly newsletter

As this initiative continues to evolve there will be new opportunities to engage with our neighbors in the Five Oaks Neighborhood.