CEC Outreach News: December 18, 2020
Save the Date - Dec. 21 - to Help Feed the Hungry at Grassroots
Christ Church plans to bring not only a tasty, nutritious meal but a little holiday cheer as well when we provide supper for the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center on December 21st. That’s because we’re encouraging parishioners to bring decorated cookies in addition to our ordinary desserts. We suggest that you wear gloves to keep everyone safe and that you put the cookies in sandwich bags of five each.
Please mark your calendars to be at Old Brick this coming Monday at 3:30 p.m., when volunteers may drop off their contributions safely in the parking lot. Please wear masks and plan to practice social distancing.
Of course, we still need the usual side dishes, fruit, and granola bars to complement our main course. In what has become a tradition during the pandemic, co-coordinator Nancy Winchester acquires the chicken at Weis and meets the other volunteers as they drive up to Old Brick. She then transports the items to Freetown Road for handoff to the staff of Grassroots. A generous donation of $200 from the Women of Christ Church is helping to pay for the chicken.
Christ Church has claimed the slot for the third Monday of each month, which means we’ll be providing the evening meal on January 18th and on February 15th. Additional volunteers -- and the resulting side dishes and desserts are always welcome.
On their own, parishioners at Christ Church have signed up to provide the evening meal on several evenings this month for the 50 adults and children. Consider pitching in, by picking a date during January to provide an entree and side dishes. Grassroots encourages an order of six pizzas -- two with cheese and four with meat (any kind), or rotisserie chickens (12 to make a meal, plus sides), but discourages lasagna or other pasta entrees. Another welcome option is takeout from restaurants to help the workforce. Here is a link to the sign-up list that's maintained by Grassroots.
Meanwhile, the Dorsey/Rt. 1 Day Resource Center remains closed due to the coronavirus, except for curbside distribution of non-perishables.
A Limited Selection of Stocking Stuffers Available to Benefit DreamBuilders
Traditionally the Outreach Commission has sold fair-trade coffee, tea, and chocolates to benefit DreamBuilders prior to Christmas. Despite the pandemic upending our traditions and keeping us apart, we can make a limited inventory available. If you want to purchase any of the following items, one of us will make a curbside dropoff between now and this Sunday, December 20th, and give you instructions to mail a check in payment directly to DreamBuilders, which has been building desks for underserved students this fall.
Here are the choices in our remaining inventory of chocolate: (14) dark chocolate bars, size 1.2 ounce; 3 for $5 or $1.75 each, (4) milk chocolate bars, size 1.2 ounce, 3 for $5 or $1.75 each; (3) bags of Java Drops (chocolate-covered coffee beans), size 16 ounce, $12 each.
In our remaining inventory of coffee, we have several bags of each of the following, in order of the heartiest to lightest flavor blend: Italian Espresso, (whole bean only), 16 ounces, $11; Moka Sumatra (ground only), 16 ounces, $11; Uprising Breakfast Blend (ground only), 16 ounces, $11; Hazelnut Dream (ground only), 16 ounces, $11; Peru French Roast Decaf (ground only), 16 ounces, $11. There’s no tea nor hot cocoa available. To order, please email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org.
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.
December LEMS Committee Update
Last week the LEMS committee delivered Christ Church's final contribution to the Weekend Food Program for 2020! Thank you for your support of the LEMS community during this unusual school year, you have made learning easier for students that really need the help. We plan to continue to provide food for ten families once a month in the new year, though as with everything, we may need to adjust to changing circumstances and needs. With local COVID cases at their peak we are following strict safety precautions, but we look forward to having greater involvement from parishioners when it is safe to do so.
If you have any questions, please contact lemspc@christchurchcolumbia.org. Donations can be made towards future LEMS support online using Realm and listing LEMS in the memo line.
Be Aware of Email Phishing Scams, Especially During this Holiday Season
We want to make you aware of email and text message scams that are targeting members of religious institutions around the country. There are also recent reports of other Maryland and Howard County churches having been affected by this issue, including Christ Church. You can learn about these phishing scams, and what you can do to help stop them, on our website's blog. Click here.