St. Augustine’s, on the edge of the University of Rhode Island (URI) campus, was formed as a mission to the URI community in the 1950s. College ministry continues to be at the heart of our mission today. We host a monthly Feed a Friend event for students. Begun by former Chaplain Jan Grinnell a few years ago in part because students said they missed home-cooked meals, this has become a great opportunity for St. A’s members to engage with and get to know students better. And we get to show off our culinary skills! Deacon Rob Izzi is a volunteer coach for the URI Rams football team, so we also have opportunities to befriend, pray for and support the football team members.
We also house the Rhody Outpost, the student food pantry. Sadly, what we know is that across the country at our state universities, 35 percent of the student population is challenged by food insecurity. Rhody Outpost aims to reduce the impact of food insecurity at URI, and is open twice a week. This year, we opened a student Coffee Lounge, which welcomes both Outpost participants and students just wandering in for a cup of free freshly made coffee.
St. Augustine’s, 15 Lower College Road, Kingston; 401-783-2153; the Rev. Beth Sherman, vicar; Bishop’s visitation March 1. website