Christ Church Outreach News: December 21, 2023

Columbia Community Care Takes a Holiday Break and accepts Donation of High-Demand Diapers and Baby Wipes from Christ Church

Christ Church has met the requests of Columbia Community Care (CCC) for a greater supply of baby wipes and large diapers. “We give out so many every weekend, mostly sizes 3 through 6,” the organization’s pantry manager, April Lee, told Christ Church Outreach Commission member Melanie Yaksich. In response, we made two drop-offs at the CCC pantry, taking several boxes of parishioners’ donations on Dec. 9 and multiple boxes of diapers and wipes on Dec. 13 (see photos).

That dropoff included seven boxes of diapers and dozens of packages of wipes, which the Outreach Commission approved for purchase at $277. These are vestry-approved Outreach budget funds derived from parishioners’ donations to Christ Church. From the Outreach Commission on behalf of Howard County families in need, please accept this hearty “Thank You!”

CCC has announced that its distribution sites will close on Saturday, Dec. 23, and on Saturday, Dec. 30, for the holidays. The CCC shoppers pantry will close on Saturday, Dec. 23, but will reopen for home deliveries on Saturday, Dec. 30. Check the CCC Facebook Group for updates.

CCC also announced that it has paused taking new orders for home deliveries until it can fulfill a backlog of 160-plus orders in its queue. At the same time, CCC made a plea for volunteers to make deliveries, as soon as Dec. 30 or in January. To volunteer, please go to this CCC SignUpGenius link.

Or, to help CCC keep up its inventory of diapers and wipes, put them along with sanitary and personal care items in the yellow bin, marked “CCC,” inside the Parish Hall. Our point of contact is Leigh Smith, who monitors the bin and delivers its contents.

Friends of Sabina Invites a Parishioner to Sponsor 15-year-old Lydia

Leaders of the nonprofit, Friends of Sabina (FOS), are currently seeking a sponsor for 15-year-old Lydia, whose destitute family resorted to interrupting her schooling to help make ends meet. The girl went to Uganda’s capital, Kampala, to work as a housemaid. But now she has returned home to Sanje, Uganda, and re-enrolled at Sabina Boarding Primary School, which Christ Church supports through the Outreach Commission.

“She has high potential as she has always placed high in her class,” according to FOS, which since taking over the operation of Sabina strives to help students excel in their studies despite personal obstacles. Lydia’s favorite subject is English and her favorite hobby is netball (see photo). She comes from a family of five whose father is deceased and whose mother works as a food vendor. For information, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org.

Sponsors commit to fund an annual scholarship, which for a primary-level student such as Lydia, costs $50 a month or $600 a year. Another goal is to form relationships, like family across the miles. FOS helps accomplish that goal through its newsletters and by encouraging an exchange of letters and occasional video calls. FOS leader Ann Marie Davis, while on-site in Uganda, arranged a video call with sponsors a few days ago.

A group of parishioners began to sponsor nine students at Sabina in 2020 and embraced two more earlier this year. Find a photo collage of seven of the nine children, pictured in 2020, on the FOS page of the Christ Church website. Sponsorship of Roger, 10, and Phionah, 15, came about in July during a Zoom session with parishioners. See it on our website: “An Incredibly Heartwarming Zoom Recap with Friends of Sabina”. 

A highlight of that session was a children’s choir performance, posted as FOS Choir July 23, 2023 on the Christ Church YouTube channel. “The children’s choir is lovely; we enjoy listening to them on campus,” says Davis, noting the rendition of “Sanctus-Latin” had been part of a prize-winning repertoire during a regional competition.

Please Donate All Kinds of Grocery Non-Perishables and Toiletries to FISH

FISH of Howard County needs non-perishable foods and toiletries. FISH provides committed support to select families in need. Please put donations in the basket at the altar or in the marked yellow bin on the breezeway between Old Brick and Parish Hall. The neighbors you help give thanks for all you do in their support.

DreamBuilders: Save the Date!

DreamBuilders will be having its General Meeting on Sunday, February 4th from 3-5 p.m. at Temple Isaiah in Fulton.  We will be talking about our upcoming Kentucky trip this June, when we hope to "blitz build" THREE Houses in one week! It’s going to be great fun, and we’ve got lots of pictures from last summer’s trip to show you at the meeting, so mark your calendars - see you there!

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.