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Welcome to the first Outreach Volunteer Newsletter. We hope it will be of value for you in keeping up with changes as well as communicating what’s going on with our neighbors and our volunteers.
From Our
Community Outreach Co-Chairs
Mike & Sue Hornby
Our first newsletter offers an opportunity to share some history of the Community Outreach Program. Central Church has been part of Community Meals for over 25 years. Judy Kropf became the first Outreach coordinator and oversaw the meals that were served on Thursdays, in addition to assisting people with emergency money. The next coordinator moved the program (Emergency Assistance Program) to Fellowship Hall. Then, as program hours were established in the morning, people came in for help, but often didn’t leave right away.
In 2007 Mike McDonald and Mike Hornby were asked to assist the coordinator to ensure she was not left alone downstairs. Doughnuts were brought in and often 8-10 guests enjoyed coffee along with the doughnuts three days a week. In 2008 Sandra McDonald began cooking pancakes and Sue Hornby began fixing eggs. The number of guests quickly rose to 15-20. In 2010-2011 two volunteers were helping Mike Holland who was then coordinator three days a week. Volunteers decided to increase the program to five days a week. At this point there were about 30-40 meals served a day. In 2011-2012 Jacquie Thomas became coordinator and the program expanded significantly. Meals were served five days a week year round with up to 60-70 guests a day. Now there were 40 volunteers involved.
Volunteers also wanted to expand to Sundays during Safe Harbor season as well as Monday through Friday. In 2013 there were four volunteers being scheduled each morning. On August 1, 2013, Lucy Diebolt started as coordinator and continues to grow the program. During Safe Harbor of 2014 and 2015, breakfast meals were served seven days a week. We now have over 50 active volunteers and several more who help as needed. Many of our volunteers are from outside of Central Church too. The program continues to change as it becomes more than “just a meal.”
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From Our
Community Outreach Coordinator
Lucy Diebolt
Central's Community Outreach ministry reaches out to local community needs in Traverse City. This ministry operates three significant programs:
* Community Outreach Breakfast - Central's Fellowship Hall opens its doors to the homeless and economically-challenged in the morning (usually from 8:30AM to 10:30AM) Monday thru Friday in the Spring, Summer and Fall, and then seven days a week in the Winter. Services provided to our neighbors include a hot breakfast, access to showers and a phone, as well as a message and mail center. Most importantly, Community Outreach provides a safe and warm environment and good fellowship. We're currently serving on average 50/55 neighbors for breakfast.
* Community Meal - Central Church joins eight other local churches to serve a hot meal to the homeless and economically-challenged year around – seven days a week. Central hosts its Community Meal every Thursday from Noon until 1 pm in the Fellowship Hall. We have rotating teams of volunteers that cook, serve and clean up after the meal each Thursday. We average 60 to 65 meals served on a typical Thursday. Our year-to-date total of meals served through the month of May is 9,551.
* Safe Harbor Shelter - CUMC participates with over twenty other Traverse City area churches in the Safe Harbor program providing shelter, meals and fellowship for the homeless of the Grand Traverse region during the cold weather portion of the year (normally begins in early November and ends in mid-April). Central Church has been a participating church since the inception of Safe Harbor which began in 2004.
A special THANK YOU to all our volunteers for everything you do to make this ministry into the success it is!
We continue to receive food donations on a regular basis from: NW Food Coalition (Food Rescue), Maxbauers and Panera Bread. We also continue to purchase food from Feeding America at a much reduced rate.
Finally, Community Outreach provides meeting space for Goodwill Street Outreach, Michigan Primary Care Association, Department of Human Services, Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency, and the Department of Veteran Affairs.
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From Our
Community Outreach Volunteer Coordinator
Kathy Dally
Because over 50 Outreach volunteers work each month to fill an average of 106 work slots, breakfast, fellowship and support can be offered to our neighbors. In addition to these dedicated volunteers who make and serve breakfast, there are others who offer their time and skills to do such things as pick up the donated Panera bread, bag the bread, sort donated clothing items, transport compost, collect and deliver hygiene products, make our name tags and serve on the Outreach Leadership Team. It takes us all and together we make a difference.
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From Our
Community Outreach Kitchen Coordinator
Geri Torno
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The Health Department inspected the CUMC kitchen on June 1st. I am happy to report, we received an excellent report. Thanks to all of you for following the Food Safety guidelines which can be found in the book Lucy created. You can find it on the cupboard under the bulletin board in the kitchen. Please continue to use it as a reference.
Some things to remember when volunteering:
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Never handle ready-to-eat food with bare hands, always wear gloves.
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Wash hands frequently.
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Label and date any leftover food that is put in fridge or when it was opened (ketchup, salsa, etc.).
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Put out small amounts of butter, peanut butter, cream cheese, and any types of breads. Anything that isn’t consumed that morning must be thrown out. Putting out small amounts means less waste.
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Wear gloves and use an ice scoop when scooping ice.
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From Our
Community Outreach Interviewer &
Committee Secretary
Kaitlyn Troutman
Meet Neil! Neil heard about CUMC's Community Outreach program through Love Inc., and has been our guest for approximately five and a half years now. Neil has been on the list to receive subsidized housing here in TC for approximately ten years now, to no avail.
A typical day for Neil starts with breakfast and a shower here at CUMC after spending the night camping. Neil has a storage tote here at CUMC, and utilizes our mail services as well. Neil then bikes or takes the Bata bus to Jubilee House to do his laundry. His part time/temp job is usually four hours a day in the afternoon with Miller Creek Computing. There, they sell used computers and repair computers for their customers.
Neil's favorite things about our Community Outreach program include our great food and shelter accommodations, and the comradery he feels with the other guests and volunteers. Neil expressed extreme gratitude for the generosity seen in all of our volunteers.
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If you are interested in volunteering your services to assist our Community Outreach ministry, please contact Lucy Diebolt by calling (231) 946-5191 or emailing her at: ldiebolt110@att.net.
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