Volunteer
Volunteers are the heart and soul of what we do as a parish, in the church and in our community!
Want to join us? See page 43 of our Vestry report for 2025 for our complete list of Staff, Ministries and Committees Coordinators to see what we offer.
Serving on Sundays
Hospitality
Every Sunday following the 9:30 am service.
This provides a time to catch up on news and to welcome guests and new parishioners to All Saints’. Volunteers are always welcome to help provide coffee, tea and snacks. This group also organizes other social events such as pot lucks on special occasions.
Altar Guild
The Altar Guild works behind the scenes to care for and change the linens, flowers and clean sacred vessels needed for services throughout the year.
Those interested in donating flowers for Sunday mornings may contact the church office.
Sunday worship is powered by volunteers!
Assistance from volunteers helps to enhance the joy and significance of our services. These volunteers are a vital part of the worship assistant team.
Servers, Sidespeople, Readers, Intercessors and Liturgical Volunteers
Our team of servers are made up of up to twelve youth from within our parish. Starting from ten or eleven years old, we open up spots to train our young parishioners to participate actively in worship.
Sidespeople greet and welcome people at the door; Readers read the lessons; Intercessors lead Prayers for the People (words that express our thanksgivings and concerns) and Eucharistic and Diaconal Ministers assist with the Eucharist (Holy communion) and special sacraments.
Caring for Each Other
Westboro Region Food Bank
All Saints’ is home to the Westboro Region Food Bank. We provide fresh and non-perishable food as well as essential supplies once a month to our Food Bank neighbours.
Book appointment to get food.
Support the Westboro Region Food Bank through food donations, financial donations and volunteering time.
Grocery Bags Needed!
The Westboro Region Food Bank needs grocery bags — fabric or plastic. Sturdy and clean ones, please.
Drop offs:
Monday through Friday from 9 am to 2 pm.
Food Bank hours are Tuesdays 1-4 pm and Thursday 4-7 pm.
GranAid
GranAid was begun by six grandmothers at All Saints’ Westboro to support grandmothers, aunties and even older siblings raising children who were orphaned by HIV/AIDS. We support these children through Fikelela which means ‘reach out’ in XHOSA, and is the outreach branch of the Anglican Diocese of Cape Town, South Africa.
Financial contributions are generated through the sale of food gift cards, our yearly Spring Perennial Plant Sale, and various donations. Gift cards can be used at Loblaws, Independent, Real Canadian Superstore and the Superstore plus several others shown on cards. Our funds are used for food, clothing, schooling as well as emotional support for both children and caregivers.
Multifaith Housing (MHI)
Multifaith Housing is a grassroots coalition of many different faith communities in Ottawa, who work together to help people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. They provide affordable housing and social and cultural support for its tenants.
There are annual fund raising and educational events that involve the extended faith community like the Tulipathon Sponsored Walk each May and National Housing Day on the third Sunday of November. Multifaith Housing has many volunteer positions available in order to lower costs so that they can keep rents affordable. Their web site is multifaithhousing.ca.
Pastoral Care Team
Our parish list includes those who are in Nursing Homes, in Retirement Residences, those who are “shut-in”, and those who are living in the community but benefit from extra contacts from others.
We have a small Pastoral Care Team that follows many of these people, as well as many other parishioners who keep our clergy informed on how other individuals are doing as well.
We are offering a series called “Aging with Grace,” after consulting the congregation for their input. Our next Aging with Grace session is March 21, 10 am – 1 pm. We’ll be discussing services available for those staying at home. Please bring your Housing Options workbook from Session One. New participants will receive a free copy.
Alongside Hope (formerly PWRDF)
Alongside Hope, formerly known as The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, is the Anglican Church of Canada’s agency for promoting sustainable development, providing emergency relief, assisting refugees and working for global justice.
Through our financial contributions at ASW, we help make financial and human resources available to partners in Canada and around the world. Locally, the diocesan Alongside Hope committee sponsors education events to keep us informed about needs here in Canada, particularly in First Nations communities, and elsewhere in the world. To learn more, please visit its website.
Cornerstone Housing for Women
We proudly support Cornerstone Housing for Women, a ministry of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.
Each February, we come together to volunteer for The Coldest Night of the Year charity walk, which we host. The event this year is on Saturday, February 28th, 2026, beginning at 4:00 pm at All Saints’ Westboro.
Walk with us (2 or 5 km) or donate to support Cornerstone Housing for Women. Parish Wide Event. There are hot drinks and chili afterwards in Steacy Hall. If you would like to join the team or donate, search for All Saints’ Westboro (team). See the All Saints’ Westboro page.
Walking up north and down south – supporting Cornerstone Housing for Women.
New-to-You Shop
We carry clothing for adults as well for infants to tweens; also some toys and books.
An outreach ministry of All Saints’ Westboro since just after World War II, the New-to-You Shop has a threefold ministry: serving the community; saving the environment and taking climate change action, and serving the church.
Donate: We welcome donations of gently used and new items.
Village Fair and Bazaar
Our annual bazaar in November is a wonderful opportunity for us to unite as a community while raising funds for the ASW general fund. It takes so many people to put on a successful bazaar.
This event not only fosters collaboration among church members but also serves as a warm invitation to our neighbours and the broader community, encouraging them to join us for a day of togetherness and celebration.
Explore a variety of handmade items, including crafts, knitting, jewelry, baked goods, pickles, preserves, linens, silverware, and secondhand books, among other treasures. Stop at the Snowflake Café for a bite of lunch. Our body art station (using henna) was a new feature in our 2025 Bazaar.
Sharing Interests
Praying with Paper Cranes
The story of Sadako Sasaki, the young girl who developed “atomic bomb disease” after the bombing tragedy in Hiroshima, Japan, during the Second World War.
As a part of the Peace Crane Project, we are challenged by courageous young people, calling for our prayers and solidarity actions for peace. Our All Saints’ Westboro community is invited to participate by folding paper canes, complex or simple ones, each crane surrounded by our deepest prayers for peace all around the world.
These cranes will be our spiritual practice for the Season of Lent and into the Season of Easter. We hope to achieve an exchange with other communities that are also taking part in this project. More information can be found at https://peacecraneproject.org/
Interested in reducing ASW’s environmental footprint?
For several years the Environmental Justice Committee has had a mandate to embed the principles and ideas of environmental justice in all aspects of life at First by engaging the congregation, promoting calls to action and supporting concrete steps to reduce our community’s ecological footprint. The Committee knows many at ASW have the same goals.
For the past year, ASW has had a representative on the Waste Management Working Group of this committee, but that individual has had to step away.
We are looking for one or more volunteers to come forward and consider joining either the Waste Management group or, more broadly, the Environmental Justice Committee. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Lamar Mason or Wallace Beaton, Chair of the Environmental Justice Committee.
We are a joint congregation; we need to work together on these important issues.
Wednesday Quilters
9:30 am – 2:00 pm, Room 7/8
The Wednesday Quilters gather most Wednesday mornings throughout the year to engage in hand-quilting around a frame, embracing the traditional “quilting bee” spirit. Whether you are an experienced hand-quilter or a beginner eager to learn, we invite you to join us for a session and try your skills on one of our small starter quilts. Visitors are always welcome.
If you have questions, please email the Parish Office.
Courtyard Gardeners
The courtyard gardens are a place of peace and welcome in the heart of Westboro. We are always looking for volunteers to help keep the gardens beautiful. Please contact the ASW office and a volunteer from the garden will get back to you.