Bad economy? Yes. Tough times? Absolutely. Reduced donations for those in need?

Not at St. Jude Church in Westlake Village, where the parish's Loaves and Fishes outreach ministry has seen an all-time high in donations during the past month, according to Jackie Treuting, who since 1990 has been co-chair of Loaves and Fishes and co-director of parish outreach with her husband John.

"We were braced for a downturn in giving, but so far it hasn't happened," Treuting told The Tidings. "We serve more than 30 agencies with the food collections and all the agencies have more clients this year. But food collections in March actually broke a record with the amount of money donated. I think people are realizing that the need is greater and they are responding generously."

During Lent, the focus for outreach each year at St. Jude is on the homeless. "We say, 'Give instead of giving up,'" said Treuting.

Parishioners bring items for care bags distributed by Frank's Homeless, coordinated by Rob and Lee Martz, and named for the late Frank McAvoy, a parishioner and long-time volunteer at St. Jude. Hundreds of care bags --- containing toiletries for daily personal care and snacks for the homeless --- are distributed by Catholic Charities, Rescue Mission and other agencies that work specifically with the homeless.

Other parish outreach ministries:

---Adopt-a-Family at Easter, coordinated by Jane McDade, prepares Easter baskets for needy children in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. About 400 baskets are prepared annually; some go to Dolores Mission in Boyle Heights.

---Holidays for the Homeless, coordinated by Steve and Pam Yantzer, is working to keep Senior Citizens in their homes this year by preparing baskets for seniors. The baskets contain gift cards for food and shoes. The baskets are being distributed through Catholic Charities in Moorpark.

---First Communion Clothes, coordinated by Madeleine Giberson, assists children and their families at St. Malachy in South Los Angeles by collecting Communion dresses for girls, shirt, tie and pants for boys, and gift cards for shoes.

Loaves and Fishes began as primarily a food collection but over the years has expanded into 15 outreach ministries at St. Jude. Food and gas cards are provided to the needy who come in for assistance.

Among the first outreach ministries was Adopt-a-Family at Christmas, which was started in the late 1970s by former parishioners John and Maureen Gorman to support youth in Watts, and has continued to grow and thrive over the years. John and Jackie Treuting began coordinating the program in 1990 after looking for ways to involve their two youngest children in outreach projects.

"This opportunity was an answer to our prayer," says Jackie.

Other ministries now include Back to School Collection, collecting school supplies and backpacks to serve more than 600 needy children annually; Baby Day, collecting baby items for Catholic Charities, Lighthouse Women's and Children's Center, and Life Centers of Ventura; Mother's Day Baby Bottles, gathering money (in plastic baby bottles) from parishioners to assist troubled young expectant mothers; Bikes for Kids, gathering new or reconditioning barely used bicycles for donation to children or adults needing transportation for school and/or work; Eye to Eye, eyeglasses collections for refitting and distribution; Recycling, with money collected to support the homeless; Rent Support, for those who need assistance or temporary shelter; and Hygiene Care Bags (last year, nearly 1,300 were distributed to agencies serving the homeless).

Many of these outreach efforts serve people in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties (portions of Westlake Village, in fact, rest on each side of the county border). Father Peter Foran, pastor since 2007, says he is amazed by the breadth and depth of services Loaves and Fishes provides.

"We remain open to needs presented to us by recipient organizations," he says, "and in this way we continue to find ways to serve the low-income and homeless families and individuals in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties."