Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church, Coronado, CA

San Diego Military Outreach Ministries

Calendar Event Description

Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church family traditions bind and enrich the lives of both our membership and the recipients of our outreach. Our proximity to Naval Air Station North Island fosters an especially firm bond with San Diego Military Outreach Ministries (SDMOM), a non-profit organization that assists families of enlisted military personnel who unselfishly guard the safety and security of our country.

March We help SDMOM collect plastic eggs filled with candy used in an Easter egg hunt for children of enlisted military. The hunt, hosted by one San Diego church each year, attracts young enlisted families who might not otherwise be drawn to a church on Easter.

June We conduct an annual food-raising drive for SDMOM.

July During the annual Coronado Independence Day Parade, we volunteer to raise public awareness by distributing brochures to parade spectators, carrying SDMOM banners, and manning a SDMOM float driven through the parade route.

October Our two youth groups, Big 5 and Crosswalk, raise money to purchase non-perishable Thanksgiving meal ingredients. Then, the week before Thanksgiving, the youth groups spend one evening sorting the food into complete meals that they box to be distributed by SDMOM to lower-enlisted families.

November Our membership forms a partnership with SDMOM to collect new toys for children ages 2–12 of families headed by at least one enlisted parent enlisted ranked E5 or below in the armed services. The majority of these military personnel are aged 18–23 and struggle to provide for their young families on less than $1500 a month.

December Rotating responsibility with other San Diego churches, we invite junior-enlisted parents to a store-like shopping environment that we create on our campus. While we provide the complimentary child care, enlisted parents select toy donations to take home, gift wrap, and present to their children on Christmas day.