Christ Church Outreach News: April 23, 2026
- Christ Episcopal Church
- Apr 23
- 4 min read
Think Sharp: You Can Support Grassroots by Organizing a Team or Competing Solo at Trivia Night on Wednesday, May 6
The Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center will hold its second annual Trivia Night on Wednesday, May 6, at The Meeting House in Oakland Mills Village Center, 5885 Robert Oliver Place in Columbia. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The competition goes from 7 to 9 p.m.
Trivia Night is described as “a fundraising event full of questions and prizes.” Food and drinks from Tino’s Italian Bistro will be available for purchase. Trivia will be presented by Charm City Entertainment. Go online here to buy tickets. Admission is $25 for an individual, $108.55 for a team of four, and $161.90 for a team of six, plus online fees.
Proceeds benefit Grassroots’ operations, which, in addition to helping the homeless, provide 24-hour crisis intervention, including a supportive counseling hotline.
Christ Church supports Grassroots on the second Monday of each month by providing a hot midday meal for the homeless at Grassroots’ Day Resource Center (DRC) and drops off dinner for its Emergency Shelter residents. When we last participated on April 13, the evening meal drop-off included floral bouquets to brighten the dining room.
Our next date is May 11. Please check our DRC online signup form for midday details or our Grassroots online signup form for dinner information. Grassroots staff serves the evening meal. It’s efficient to provide for both venues on the same day. Your donations and Vestry-approved funds pay for the fried-chicken entrees. Thank you!
Your generosity has again helped ease the lives of our homeless neighbors, who rely on the DRC for pantry items, including food, sundries, and more. In response to a DRC request for clothing, the Outreach Commission at its April meeting approved spending $323. On April 15, we delivered 30 pairs of men’s jeans, a dozen men’s T-shirts, and 16 women’s T-shirts. These were purchased with funds donated to the church by parishioners who give to “General Outreach.” A hearty thanks!
You, too, can pitch in by shopping for the pantry at the DRC and Grassroots’ two other sites. We welcome in-kind donations of items such as canned meats and hearty soups, peanut butter, and fruit cups to be dropped off ahead of time in the Parish Hall kitchen for delivery on second Mondays. Find Grassroots’ monthly needs list on our signups under “Related Files.”
Do You Have a Green Thumb? Help Columbia Community Care Kick Off Its Garden Plot at Freetown Farm from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, April 26
Columbia Community Care (CCC) invites volunteers to join in breaking ground on its new garden plot at Freetown Farm, 8000 Harriet Tubman Lane, Columbia, Md., 21044, in partnership with Community Ecology Institute. On the first work day at the plot, volunteers will help clear the ground and plant early-season crops like kale and snap peas.
Novice and experienced gardeners are encouraged to sign up in advance here to participate from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, April 26. Work will be organized into three zones: Clean & Clear, Soil Health & Preparation, and The Planting Row. Details are available online in the registration form.
Mark Your Calendars! DreamBuilders Fundraiser at Bushel and a Peck - May 13
DreamBuilders will host their Spring fundraising event at Bushel and a Peck - 12250 Clarksville Pike in Clarkesville. It takes place on Wednesday, May 13th and you can reserve your seats for happy hour and dinner on their website. Then, join us from 4:30 - 8:30 p.m. that evening as we help raise funds to build three homes in Hazard, Kentucky. When you make your reservation, please put a note that you are there for the DB event. You can also call B&aP at 410.531.1809 to reserve space.
Bring Items for FISH/CCC, and Consider Volunteering to Take Calls from Home
FISH and Columbia Community Care (CCC) partnered last year and merged pantries. CCC continues to hand out food at three sites on Saturday mornings and by home delivery to Howard County residents. For information, visit Get Help online. For updates on community services such as youth programs, check CCC’s Facebook page.
FISH continues to pick up donated goods from Christ Church and others. Please put non-perishable food and personal care products in the altar basket or in a bin just inside the Parish Hall. Look for a combo label “FISH/CCC”. Please bring baby wipes and diapers, especially large sizes.
FISH will continue to provide telephone support to Howard County residents, offering guidance and financial assistance because the personal touch is very important when people are in crisis. For information, ask parishioner and FISH treasurer Andy DeLong (seen in this photo) or email him at andydelong.fish@gmail.com.
You could be the one to lend a helping hand by lending an ear! As a phone volunteer, you can help from your home by giving just one day a month to assist those who could benefit from financial assistance from FISH. Training is provided. Thank you!
We had a Beautiful Day at the LEMS Kindness Pantry
Today was a beautiful day to help with the Food Pantry at LEMS. The Roving Radish delivered 66 boxes of very nutritious food, including eggs, yogurt, bananas, strawberries, romaine, spinach and lots of other fruits and vegetables. The distribution began at 3:30 and all the boxes were gone before 4:00! That should tell you something about the ongoing needs in our community.
We also delivered lots of boxes of facial tissues for classrooms and all the regular items that we requested from you. Those items are distributed by school counselors to families who are in special need.
Grace Church donated new Carter pajamas and those were snatched up in less than 15 minutes. I guess a lot of kids are fond of purple and unicorns!
In May, we are helping to fund four workshops for the students in YLAP (Youth Leaders Advisory Board), presented by the Maryland Leadership Workshop. These workshops will prepare school leaders in 6th, 7th and 8th grade to focus on activities that will enhance the school environment and then help them learn the skills to accomplish those goals.
The students will be presenting High School Musical in May so stay tuned for announcements about the dates for that performance.
Thanks for sharing your love!
Jenny Cecil, Jan DeBoissiere, Sara Kirkpatrick, Cathy Whittaker - LEMS 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.
