St. Joseph Parish actively participates in a local charity known as Ruth's Harvest which is sponsored by the Hanover Area Council of Churches. Ruth's Harvest provides weekend meals for children from low-income families who are students in Hanover Public School District. Each participating child receives a backpack containing seven meals for the weekend before leaving school on Friday afternoon. The children bring the empty backpack to school on Monday to be refilled by Ruth's Harvest the next week. St. Joseph Parish volunteers perform numerous duties to assist the Council of Churches with this ministry including accepting and sorting food on assigned Mondays throughout the month, packing the backpacks on assigned Thursday evenings, and delivering the backpacks to the participating schools on assigned Friday mornings. In addition, the parish conducts monthly Ruth's Harvest food drives before all weekend Masses on the first full weekend of every month. Parishioners interested in volunteering for Ruth's Harvest may contact Fr. Rothan.