With the COVID-19 pandemic in our midst starting in the middle of March, the Board of Outreach had to modify how we conducted our events. As always, our church and greater community were very generous even during trying times.
One Great Hour of Sharing was held in March. Through the generosity of the congregation, $525 was raised. Funding through OGHS provides help for communities around the world who suffer from the effects of disaster, conflict and economic hardship.
In June, the Edward Farrar Utility District waived base charges on water and sewer bills due to COVID-19. Church Council decided to forward this savings to the Waterbury Area Food Shelf in the amount of $200 through the Outreach budget.
The CROP Walk took place on October 11th with walkers masked and socially distanced and $1,735 was raised. Of that amount, $458.75 was sent to the Waterbury Area Food Shelf and the remainder was retained by Church World Service. Church World Service is a faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster.
The collection of the Church World Service kits was postponed from May to September. Our church was the collection point. In total, 324 kits were collected from area churches and consisted of hygiene kits, school kits and emergency cleanup buckets. Our church constructed 27 school kits.
In December, the congregation supported the Toys for Tots program and many gifts were collected. Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas.
Through the Board of Outreach budget, these additional donations were made during 2020:
- $100 Donation to the Waterbury Ambulance Service
- $150 to the Vermont Low Income Advocacy Council
- $200 to the Good Samaritan Haven
The Board would like to thank the congregation for your generosity and continued support of our many projects.
Respectfully submitted,
Polly Sabin, Chair, Carla Lawrence, Deb Utton, Erin Mooney