Christ Church Outreach News: March 24, 2023
Save the Date and Help Lead the Way: On April 22, Our Supermarket Food Drives Resume After a Pandemic Hiatus
Once again, Christ Church will hold a food drive at a local Giant supermarket, resuming a hands-on, family-friendly activity that had been halted by the pandemic. The place: River Hill Giant, 6050 Daybreak Circle, Clarksville, MD 21029. The time: Noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 22. The goal: engage shoppers in collecting hundreds of pounds of non-perishable groceries for the Howard County Food Bank and – new this year – for its partner, SAFE Food Pantry.
Here’s how you can help. Please consider taking a shift of at least one hour on that Saturday. Bring your children, too – toddlers on up! We could also use your help in planning this popular activity that helps the hungry.
Outreach member Michon Semon is leading the drive, as she has done in years past when Christ Church held food drives at the Palace Giant, the Owen Brown Giant, and the River Hill Giant. But we need plenty of help from parishioners to recruit volunteers, participate, and deliver our anticipated haul to the food bank, which is operated by the Community Action Council of Howard County. For information or to respond to our call, please email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org.
The need is great, as food insecurity increases nationally and in Maryland. As described in a March 17 article on Patch, that’s due to the end of federal emergency food assistance tied to the pandemic and to inflation. Low-income households struggle to afford the cost of groceries, up 11.3 percent. People who are on medically restricted diets are especially challenged. In Howard County, SAFE provides free gluten-free and allergy-safe foods.
Spread the Word and Plan to Attend an Educational Webinar on Senior Housing
Would you like to learn about a campaign to improve housing choices for seniors in our community? If so, plan to join a webinar on Monday, April 3 from 7 to 8 p.m. by organizers of the Howard County Housing Affordability Coalition and Age-Friendly Howard County. The topic will address a housing crisis that confronts many seniors who face rising housing costs and a shortage of affordable and or accessible homes in the county. If interested, register through Eventbrite or email: admin@hocohac.org.
Columbia Community Care Recruits Gardening Volunteers at Kickoff Event on April 8 and Participants in a Spring Fun Run/Walk on April 22
Columbia Community Care (CCC) plans outdoor activities on upcoming weekends. On Saturday, April 8 at 9 a.m., volunteers will converge on the CCC pantry building to help kick off a gardening project. On Saturday, April 22, CCC will hold a Spring Fun Run/Walk starting at 9 a.m. with a kickoff party. Each of these CCC events takes place at the former Columbia Flier building, 10750 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia.
The garden will allow CCC to grow its own healthy produce to better help families in need. The Community Ecology Institute has partnered with CCC, starting with the installation of a series of raised garden beds. Please come to learn what will be planted and how to help. CCC created a signup form with slots throughout the year and said: “We appreciate you lending your gardening expertise.”
When you arrive on April 22 at the run/walk kick-off, please bring a non-perishable item to donate. The start time for competitors is 10 a.m. Advance registration costs $20 or $10 for children ages 12 and under. Same-day registration for adults is $25. Registration is preferred by April 15. To register, go online to CCC events.
All registered participants will get discount cards to Feet First Sports, located at 5305 Village Center Dr., Suite 110, in Wilde Lake Center. The course ends at the center, where the Wilde Lake Village will be holding a village board election party.
Wilde Lake is also the site of one of CCC’s three distribution centers where, as usual, volunteers will be distributing goods to less fortunate neighbors. The Wilde Lake Interfaith Center is located at 10431 Twin Rivers Rd. Other sites are The Barn in Oakland Mills Village Center, 5851 Robert Oliver Place, and at Long Reach Village Center, Suite 9, 8775 Cloudleap Ct., all in Columbia.
Free groceries, produce, baby supplies, and household essentials are given out on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon, or when goods run out. This week CCC said it urgently needs to replenish baby supplies: “We are still very low or completely out of many diaper sizes right now (3, 4, 5, 6,) and baby wipes,” leaders posted on the CCC Group on Facebook.
At Christ Church, Leigh Smith is our representative who takes parishioners’ donated items to CCC. Please continue your support by collecting diapers, baby wipes, sanitary and personal care items, and adult diapers. Put them in the yellow bin, marked “CCC,” inside the Parish Hall on weekdays when the church office is open or on Sunday.
Donate Snacks, Crackers, and Cookies to FISH in Bin on our Breezeway
Organizers for FISH of Howard County are continuing to ask for cookies, crackers, and snacks to fulfill their shopping lists. The yellow bin is between Old Brick and the Parish Hall. Thanks for your contributions to our neighbors in need.
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.
