CEC Outreach News: November 13, 2020
Christ Church has Launched Our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Drive We have begun our annual collection to help feed families at Thanksgiving, and we’re counting on you to bring goods or make donations. In collaboration with the nonprofit organization, FISH of Howard County, Christ Church once again will provide the menu items for turkey dinners for 30 households. But we are taking safety precautions due to the pandemic. We’ll order the frozen poultry directly from suppliers; for non-perishables, a collection bin has been set up outside. If you wish to remain totally hands off, you can donate toward the costs. Here’s what you need to know: ▪ The Thanksgiving Dinner Drive, which began Nov. 8, will end at noon on Sunday, Nov. 22. Those who wish to drop off items in the outdoor bin may do so curbside, near the entrance to the Parish Hall. You should not need to enter the building unless you encounter a problem with the bin, such as an overflow of items. The breezeway is expected to offer shelter from bad weather. ▪ Needed non-perishables include: boxes of stuffing; jars or cartons of gravy; instant or fresh potatoes; canned or fresh yams; canned vegetables such as peas, carrots, green beans; applesauce; canned fruits such as peaches, pears, fruit cocktail; jars of pickles and olives; cans of cranberry sauce. ▪ You are invited to bring dessert items, but, given their perishable nature, please do so only on the final collection day, Sunday, Nov. 22 until noon. Needed desserts include: pies, pound cake, cookies, donuts, and brownies. ▪ If you wish to donate toward the cost of the dinners, please designate Outreach/turkey dinner online in Realm or mail a check to the office with 'Outreach/turkey dinner' in the memo line. We anticipate the cost of a frozen turkey to be approximately $20. The cost of side dishes for one family’s meal is about $26.00. If we need particular items or have an oversupply of others, we will update everyone in the Gatherings email next Thursday, November 19th. Once again, Shahra and George Toth of the Outreach Commission are leading the drive, but if you have questions, email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.com. The goods will be assembled at the FISH pantry by its volunteers, who also handle deliveries to the families. Thanks to everyone for considering a donation of food or funds to help make this a special Thanksgiving holiday for our neighbors in need.
Save the Dates-- Nov. 16 and Dec. 21-- to Help Feed the Hungry at Grassroots
On Monday, November 16th, Christ Church once again will provide the evening meal at Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, where 50 people at its live-in facility on Freetown Road are no doubt anticipating a menu of fried chicken, side dishes, and tasty desserts. Co-coordinator Nancy Winchester will be at Old Brick 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. During the months of the pandemic, this rendezvous has become routine (see photo, above) Nancy acquires the chicken at Weis, meets the other volunteers as they drive up to Old Brick, and 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 also claimed the slot for the third Monday next month, which means we’ll be providing the Grassroots evening meal on December 21st, so please mark your calendars. Additional volunteers -- and the resulting side dishes, desserts, fruit, and granola bars -- are welcome next week and next month.
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, so please consider pitching in by picking a date during the remainder of November, or in December, 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 restaurant 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.
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.
DreamBuilders UPDATE
We have had to delay our third DreamBuilders Desk Build due to the increase in COVID-19 cases. We will keep you posted of any updates as we have them, or you can regularly check www.dreambuildersmd.org for the latest.
Springfield Hospital Christmas Gifts
We will once again be collecting Christmas gifts for our friends at Springfield Hospital. This has been a particularly difficult year for them, as they have been unable to have visits due to the pandemic. Though we haven’t been able to make our usual visits, we will be gathering gifts for them to bring a little Christmas Joy. If you would like to contribute, we have placed a large container in the Tower Room to accept your unwrapped donations, before December 14th. If that’s inconvenient, please contact Cathy Gold and we will find a way. heycathy@verizon.net or (410) 440-4178.
Baltimore International Seafarers' Center Donations
The Seafarers charity is again requesting donations from Christ Episcopal Church. The group is asking for warm hats for men, 2021 Calendars, and copies of the following magazines : Time ; People; Sports Illustrated; National Geographic, Reader's Digest, Smithsonian, New Yorker, Baltimore Magazine and travel magazines. These items may be placed in the bin marked 'Seafarers'. Because lower brick will be open for drop off and pick up of auction items this weekend, the bins will also be available during those times for donations. Please have your donations in by November 30th.
The schedule is as follows:
Friday November 13th from 4 to 7 p.m.
Saturday November 14th from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Thank you for your attention to this important community outreach.