Outreach Committee 2007
Chair: Jeanette Halcrow Treasurer: Cathy Bright
Secretary: Kim Evoy Welcoming Convenor: Linda Prodan
Membership of 11, including above. The Outreach Committee has continued working in our community to help our church put our faith into action.
The expenses incurred by families when tragedy strikes can cause great hardships for those affected. We attempted to lighten that burden by making monetary donations to 11 families who had to travel out of town for medical appointments/tests, 1 family who had a house fire and 4 families who experienced the sudden and tragic death of a family member.
A small amount of groceries are kept on hand at the Echo Bay church in case someone requires immediate, short term help before their next cheque. We also have a great relationship with Dinelle’s who will provide anything we don’t have on hand with nothing more than a phone call and a promise to pay them back later.
We are continuing to purchase bibles for newlyweds and for babies baptised at our two churches. Teddy bears are also available for any child who is in need of extra hugs due to illness or any other tragedy they may encounter.
Easter Baskets with the makings of Easter Dinner went out to 20 families.
As has been the practice the last couple of years, Echo Bay school had a food drive before Christmas and collected a substantial amount of non-perishable food items that were donated to our group. These items, along with what was collected on White Gift Sunday, went into the Christmas Hampers we provided to 25 families in the area. The committee purchased items such as socks, mitts, toys for children, and toiletries to add to the hampers as well.
The money used to keep this group going comes mainly from donations at the Annual Community Christmas Dinner held the second last Sunday in November. This year was a banner year, raising $2,480.50 at the door – the most ever!
Leaside United Church in Toronto (Bryan Lapier’s home church) also generously gives a donation every year. We have also received donations from individuals who have been helped by our group in the past, or have heard of the work we do and want to contribute.
This group meets as the need arises, in fact, a lot of the work gets done by telephone!
After 20 years of service, our secretary resigned at the end of the year. Lorna Greene has agreed to take over this position.
The Outreach Committee looks forward to continuing to make our community a caring and faith filled one to live in.