Ask Mary Vanderwert and Pam Standl, both Christians and Head Start workers who came up with a novel idea to help one family in the grip of poverty.

"Pam ran into a Head Start mom who (was applying) to get into a homeless shelter," Vanderwert said. "The woman was just coming out of an abusive relationship. She had two kids and one had special needs. In Pam's mind she wondered what it would be like to bounce from place to place -- shelter to shelter. And then there is the accompanying grief of breaking off a relationship. And there is also relief with being able to leave such a crummy situation. And Pam and I both know there are a million stories like that out there."

So Vanderwert, a member of St. Luke's Catholic Church on St. Paul's Summit Avenue, and Standl, a member of St. Timothy's Lutheran Church on Victoria Street, began calling friends and neighbors. Standl also recruited one of her pastors, the Rev. Jeff Rohr. The result is the Starfish Project, a program that tries to help one family struggling with poverty by paying a full year's rent. St. Timothy's handles the money, and rent payments, which organizers estimate to be about $6,000 annually, will be sent directly to the landlord.

Vanderwert said families must meet three criteria: Members must be chemically free or at least on a solid road to recovery; adults must make an effort toward self-sufficiency from government or charitable support; and the family must include children.

Rohr said the church group hopes to become acquainted with the family and help it in many ways, including employment.

"Some people can't hold a job. They don't know what to wear -- don't have the clothes. And some don't know that you have to arrive at the workplace on time," Vanderwert said.

She also stressed the role churches can play in helping equalize opportunity.

"It's a justice issue, because all the job growth is in the suburbs ... And unless religious people do something, our cities will be like doughnuts with a big hole in the center," she said.

The project's name, Starfish, comes from a story in which a little boy goes to the beach. He finds it covered with thousands, even millions, of starfish. The child picks one up and heads to the water to put the creature back into the surf. A man on the beach observes this and points out to the boy that thousands of the starfish will die.

"But this one won't," says the boy, as he gently sets the starfish into the water.

The message fit the women's goal perfectly -- solving what seems like an overwhelming problem begins with just one person, or a few people, taking action.

Vanderwert and Standl began thinking of fund-raising ideas and settled on a holiday caroling party. They hand-delivered notes to neighbors, telling them about the program and seeking donations.

"We had about 45 or 50 people (caroling), and it was a very cold evening," Rohr said. "We broke into three groups and started out, but after an hour everyone came back to warm up and count the money. We had $750 after an hour, so we prayed again and went out. Every two blocks we collected about $250."

One of the most unique contributions came from two women who earlier had gone out jogging and found a $100 bill. Even other caroling groups working the same area donated when they ran into the Starfish groups.

The Starfish Project has raised about $3,000, roughly half the goal, but the organizers are hopeful. Their goal is to collect the full amount and select a family before spring.

"There is a lot of energy in the Starfish Project -- a lot of passion," Rohr said.

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To get involved:

To donate to the Starfish Project, send a check to St. Timothy's Lutheran Church, 1465 Victoria St., St. Paul, MN, 55117

Clark D. Morphew