CEC Outreach News: July 18, 2021
Save the Dates: Grassroots Meal Drop-Offs on Monday, July 19th & Aug. 16th
Once again, parishioners and volunteers who join their efforts are looking ahead to the monthly meal that we provide at Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. Save the dates: July 19th and Aug. 16th, arriving between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. at the parking lot outside Old Brick. Plan to bring a side dish, a dessert, or items for their pantry to be enjoyed round-the-clock by the 50 residents of the live-in facility on Freetown Rd.
To sign up, use our electronic registry no later than noon on the Sunday prior to the meal on Monday. Click on the Christ Church Grassroots Meal link on SignUpGenius to view requested items and to tell coordinators what you’ll bring.
As usual, co-coordinator Nancy Winchester acquires fried chicken at Weis and meets the other volunteers. Nancy then transports the hot or cold foods to Freetown Road for handoff to the staff of Grassroots.
Christ Church continues to support Grassroots’ Day Resource Center (DRC) at the Dorsey Center. The DRC has not yet resumed the hot meals that Christ Church had helped serve prior to the pandemic, but it fulfills other needs of our homeless friends.
Grassroots lists some other needs for curbside distribution at the DRC or for the pantry at the Freetown Road facility. Look for its attached file at our sign-up link. For any questions contact Nancy or co-coordinator Shahra Toth or email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org.
To further help our neighbors in need, some parishioners take it upon themselves to provide the evening meal for the 50 adults and children at Freetown Road. It’s your choice to provide an entree and side dishes, or just the entree. Cook in your own kitchen, or order out. Or purchase 12 rotisserie chickens to make a meal. Grassroots continues to discourage lasagna or other pasta dishes. Here is a link to the sign-up list that has openings through Aug. 31st.
Spread the Word: Pet Food Giveaway by Howard County Animal Control
When household budgets are tight, Rover and Fluff might be left wanting. If you or a pet owner whom you know is experiencing hard times, here’s good news. The Howard County Animal Control & Adoption Center is planning to distribute free items to the less fortunate during a Drive-Thru Pet Food Pantry (see photo above). It will be held on Tuesday, July 20th, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., or while supplies last, at Howard County Animal Control, 8675 Davis Rd., Columbia, Md. 21045.
Columbia Community Care Recruits Volunteers to Make Deliveries
The Outreach Commission and our Racially Aware Group of Episcopalians (R.A.G.E) ask parishioners to support Columbia Community Care (CCC). One way is to heed a current plea for additional volunteers who “shop” at the CCC pantry to fulfill a family’s order of groceries and then deliver to the recipient’s home. Please sign up under “I can help” on the CCC website or in the CCC Group on Facebook.
Because too few volunteers have chosen this option, there is a waiting list of families needing food. They lack transportation or otherwise can’t make it to CCC’s regular sites. Instead, a volunteer fulfils the shopping list at the CCC pantry within New Hope Adventist Church, 12350 Hall Shop Rd., Fulton, MD, 12350. Directions to the recipients’ home are sent by text message. One Christ Church parishioner who volunteers for this task prefers to “shop” for two families and make back-to-back deliveries. Volunteers have a wide timeframe to perform the duty, mostly dictated by the pantry hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 12:30 to 6 p.m.
Another opportunity to support CCC is to continue collecting diapers, baby wipes, sanitary and personal care items as well as adult diapers. Put them in the yellow bin marked “CCC” inside the Parish Hall door. You can drop off items on weekdays until 2 p.m., but please call the church office (410) 381-9365 ahead of time.
Donate Toiletries, Cleaning Supplies for FISH in its Yellow Bin
Organizers for FISH of Howard County request household cleaning supplies such as liquid dish soap, bleach, and cleanser. Also the families who call on FISH during times of crisis could use personal items such as deodorant, shampoo and bath soaps. At the present time, the pantry has an adequate supply of groceries.
Reminder: Restaurant Donation Day July 29 to Help Bridges End Homelessness
Supporters of Bridges to Housing Stability can dine in at one restaurant or choose to dine in or take out at its sister venue in the Merriweather District in Downtown Columbia on July 29th. Cured Table & Tap and 18th & 21st will each donate 10 percent of your receipt during Bridges’ Restaurant Donation Day. Both restaurants share the same address: 10980 Grantchester Way, #110, Columbia, MD 20144. For more information about the event or about Bridges and its support by our parishioners, read the Christ Church Outreach Blog Post of July 10th.
Lake Elkhorn Middle School Supplies Update
We are excited to report that we have exceeded our goal of $5,000 for school supplies for the students at LEMS. We are very grateful to the generous parishioners of Christ Church for their responsiveness to the needs of families in our local community. Because of your open hearts, Christ Church will be able to provide school supplies for at least 125 children for the upcoming school year. We will be ordering the supplies shortly and hope to fill the bags on a morning between July 25th and 30th. We will choose a more specific date once we know all the supplies have arrived. If you would like to help us bag the supplies, please contact Onyx Williams at ow6062@gmail.com or Cathy Whittaker at catharinewhittaker@gmail.com.
DreamBuilders is seeking a webmaster to join our Leadership team in September of 2021. The website is a key information source for our volunteers to learn about and sign up for local building opportunities and mission trips. The site also serves a vital communication role for construction partners, suppliers, supporters, and potential donors to understand the amazing work DreamBuilders does locally and on mission trips.
You’ll be responsible for managing DreamBuilders’ web presence, ensuring our site is user-friendly and current. You should be knowledgeable in web hosting/ server management, online security, web design, and content management on the WordPress platform (no coding is necessary). You’ll participate in monthly leadership meetings to be well-informed of DreamBuilders' plans, projects, and events. This volunteer position requires a commitment of 4-8 hours a month, although the hours vary depending on DreamBuilders’ activity level. Your personal involvement and donation of web skills will have a direct impact on improving the lives of so many people! And of course, you’ll have ample opportunity to put your creative talents to good use. For more information, contact john.mcbeth@verizon.net The deadline to express interest is August 1st.
SEAFARER’S Donation Requests
We could use your help in gathering the following items. Delivery is made and the date announced when the number of collections gets reasonably accumulated. Contact Carolann Sawyer with any questions.
Bible in modern English (or Tagalog, Russian, or Chinese)
Times/Newsweek/etc. up to 3 months old
Sports Ill/People/etc. up to 6 months
Cars/Computers/Consumers up to 1 year
Reader’s Digest up to a couple of years
National Geographics post-2000
Books (except for Bibles) are less often requested, but some seafarers do appreciate action novels, as well as picture books about Baltimore or the U.S.
Action/adventure DVD’s. Recent popular CDs.
Religious books (in easy English), DVDs, CDs; rosaries.
Clothing - men’s jeans, other sturdy pants (no bigger than XL) or shorts, T-shirts, warm outerwear, and non-skid shoes/boots (in good condition only), and gloves, hats, scarves, and warm socks.
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.