Christ Church Outreach News: April 22, 2022

Columbia Community Care Seeks Volunteers for Its Distribution Sites

The all-volunteer organization, Columbia Community Care (CCC) is recruiting volunteers to help

staff its three distribution sites on Saturday mornings. The shifts last from 9 a.m. to noon.

Besides helping our less-fortunate neighbors, you can seize a multi-generational opportunity by choosing to volunteer with CCC. For example, in Oakland Mills, a father and daughter sometimes sign up to work together.

Groceries and produce are distributed at three sites: Long Reach Village Center, Suite 9, 8775 Cloudleap Ct.; Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Rd., and at the Barn/Teen Center indoor space in the Oakland Mills Village Center, 5851 Robert Oliver Place, all in Columbia.

Recipients are welcomed from 10 a.m. to noon, and one volunteer slot at each location is for a translator. Other roles are listed as set up, sorter, and greeter. Signups are posted through June 25th according to neighborhood site: Long Reach, Wilde Lake, and Oakland Mills. You’ll find updates, such as tasks needed at specific locations, on the CCC Facebook Group. As a hint of the camaraderie that develops among workers, you’re just as likely to find birthday greetings and shout-outs to long-term volunteers.

At Christ Church, Violet Smith is our representative and is responsible for taking parishioners’ donated items to a CCC site for distribution on Saturdays. Members of R.A.G.E and the Outreach Commission ask everyone to continue supporting CCC by collecting diapers, baby wipes, sanitary and personal care items, and adult diapers. Please put them in the yellow bin, marked “CCC,” inside the Parish Hall.

Consider Designating FISH or Another Favorite Charity on Amazon

You’ve seen the request from FISH of Howard County for a continuing supply of cookies, crackers, and snacks to fulfill its shopping lists. The yellow bin is between Old Brick and the Parish Hall. We appreciate your pitching in.

But did you know there is another good way to help that doesn’t require pushing a shopping cart in a supermarket? Even as the pandemic wanes, many of us have grown accustomed to ordering online from Amazon.

Through AmazonSmile, the company’s foundation makes a contribution of .5% of every purchase on the site to the customer’s designated charity. It’s a small amount but volume matters, and the nonprofits who participate tell us it truly makes a difference. You can designate only one, but we are highlighting several from which you may wish to choose.

FISH, which is an all-volunteer organization, helps impoverished households in several ways ranging from energy assistance to food drop-offs utilizing donations from Christ Church and others in Howard County. On its website, FISH explains how to utilize AmazonSmile.

Another participating organization is Community Action Council of Howard County, which oversees the Howard County Food Bank and several other initiatives to help those in need, and the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. Grassroots oversees the Day Resource Center at the Dorsey Center in Jessup and the live-in facility on Freetown Road where Christ Church provides a midday and an evening meal, respectively, on the second Monday of every month.

Please lift up your prayers for the volunteers and nonprofit employees who do their best to help those in need.

A Message of Gratitude from our Afghan Refugee Family Each member of the Afghan refugee family who has been under Christ Church’s care and support since late December is so full of gratitude for what we have done, and continue to do, to help them. Anwar, the oldest son, recently wrote this poem for us and chose the accompanying photo. You can view this in last week's blog post on the Christ Church Outreach page. On Sundays May 8th and May 22nd, the family will be at Christ Church between the 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. services so they can meet more of us, and so more of us can meet them. Please plan to come. And please continue to pray for this family and for refugees everywhere. Thank you for giving so generously. Thank you for your help in so many ways. To talk about what is needed to support this ministry and what you can do, please contact Deacon Denise, Jan DeBoissiere, Cherryllyn Williams, or any member of the Afghan Refugee Ministry committee.

In general, if you have suggestions about ways to help the community, if you want to get involved, or if you need assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.