2,658 Bags of Food & 5000 Pieces of Clothing
Updates from Tracy Rush & Shelley Palmer
Hello, church family! THANK YOU! Because of your unwavering generosity, we continue to serve our neighbors in the Westerville area through Friday Fare. Looking back at these past few months (January-June 2023), our teams packed and delivered 2,658 bags—serving, on average, 148 families each week. All the saltines, tuna helper, black beans, and other food and financial gifts made possible the more than 21,000 meals that Westerville Christian Church shared with our families during the second half of the school year.
During the last four weeks of the school year, we worked on a pilot project to offer grab-and-go items at our local high schools.
You all brought in pancakes, mac n’ cheese, and all kinds of quick-serve items. The response from our schools was overwhelmingly positive. In fact, the very first week I delivered supplies to Westerville North, a group of young men came into the guidance office while I was stocking the food items. I was met with glee-filled exclamations of, “Whoa, is this for us???” It was a small thing, yet it was no small thing to see those young men smile.
A very BIG thing took place last week.
One of the counselors I connected with this past year is working with students attending Summer School. She called me last Friday and asked if there was any way we might be able to help a family with an urgent need. It was late in the day, and she was trying to get something pulled together before the weekend. She had just learned about a family and their children hadn’t eaten in two days. I pulled together some items, and she was able to get them to the family quickly. I wish I could say that was a unique situation, but that same counselor reached out this week. The need was less urgent, yet still pressing. Each time we spoke, she was overwhelmingly grateful. So was I: grateful for the counselor who, late on a Friday afternoon, was working to make a way for a family in need, grateful for our church and our commitment to sharing God’s love tangibly in our community, grateful for the generosity with which each of you supports WCCares, but mostly, mostly grateful for Jesus and His love for us.
No less than 60 volunteers serve in our Friday Fare ministry each month. I am grateful for ALL of them. Without them, what we do would not be possible. This past Spring, we lost one of our most passionate volunteers, Kristina Rowland. Kristina was a remarkable woman who loved dearly and gave selflessly to our WCCares ministry. She loved Jesus and wanted others to know His love as well.
Our teams are incredibly thankful and excited about moving into the new WC Cares space late this Summer! So, let me end where I began; I am so grateful for you! Have a blessed Summer.
Philippians 1:3
I thank my God every time I remember you.
A word from Shelley Palmer concerning our Wardrobe Ministry
The Wardrobe visited a ministry called “Helping Hands” on May 11. We stayed an extra hour and served more people who came for the 3P walk-in clinic as well as those from the Women's Wellness clinic. We helped about 15 people and their families.
The Wardrobe continued helping others on May 19 as we delivered 95 bags for 17 families at the Westerville Area Resource Ministry. Five new families signed up. We have served approximately 68 different families at WARM since last September. Our total impact for the year is now helping over 700 individuals and giving away nearly 5000 pieces of clothing. Thank you, Westerville Christian Church, for being so generous.