God’s Work Our Hands
Lent 2010
Join us for a special Lenten series that will bring you face to face with those who lead the organizations we support.
At 6:30 we will SHARE a simple soup supper. Please join us for a simple and delicious meal.
At 7:00 we will LISTEN to leaders from the organizations we are supporting this year:
February 24 Kate Walton, Programs Director of Connecticut Food Bank
March 3 Lutheran World Relief video: “Where do the Health and School Kits we create go and how do they get there?”
March 10 Paula Sarro, Associate Executive Director of the Women’s Prison Association Sarah Powell Huntington House
March 17 Rev. PJ Leopold from the Association of Religious Communities in Danbury – ARC
March 24 Mary Ann Baldwin from Ridgefield Social Services
At 7:30 we will WORK to sort and pack items for each group.
At 8:00 p.m. we will PRAY.
Come, share, listen, learn, serve and pray with us
this Lenten Season!
RIDGEFIELD SOCIAL SERVICES
Ridgefield Social Services offers a wide array of Community Social work services for families and non-disabled adults, including senior citizens
The Social Services Department is always available to provide information and referral services to Ridgefield residents as well as to assist them in applying for local, State and Federal benefit programs for which they may qualify.
In addition, the Department maintains a Food Pantry, located at the Ridgefield Recreation Center, which is open to all local residents in need.
Needed are:
ANY NON-PERISHABLE FOODS especially:
• cereal
• juice
• peanut butter
• tuna
• canned meats
• pasta sauce
ANY HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS especially:
• personal care items
• household cleaning supplies
ASSOCIATION OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES
This year ARC invites us to join in their ARC
Angel Welcome Baskets
Recipients of Welcome Baskets are generally people who are: 1) homeless -- and moving into a low-income rental, or 2) relocating -- due to an increase in rent at their current home, which they cannot afford. Between now and June 30th, 2010, we are hoping to create at least 40 Welcome Baskets.
Please help by filling a laundry basket with the following:
Kitchen cleaning products
• 2 containers of Comet
• 1 bottle of Dish Soap
• 4 to 8 Sponges
• 2 Dish Towels
• 2 rolls Paper Towels, Dust pan & brush
Bathroom supplies
• Bottle Tile-x
• 2 bars of Soap
• 2 tooth brushes & 1 tube toothpaste
• Band-aids & 1 tube of neosporin
Laundry
• 1 bottle Bleach
• 1 bottle Arm & Hammer liquid detergent (100 fluid ounces, enough for 32 loads, “free of perfume or dye”)
Optional!
• Plastic bottle of hand cream – or -- 1 other non-perishable goodie
Women’s Prison Association --
Sarah Powell Huntington House
Sarah Powell Huntington House is a unique residence where homeless women who have criminal justice involvement can reunify with their children. WPA offers on-site case management, day care, recreational activities for children, counseling (for both mothers and their children), and intensive assistance with finding permanent housing.
Criminal justice-involved women face tremendous obstacles to obtaining affordable and suitable housing, including disqualification from many public housing opportunities. Huntington House staff help residents navigate the complex and inconsistent regulations of the criminal justice, housing, welfare and foster care systems.
Women’s Prison Association offers a range of services aimed at helping women who are at any stage of contact with the criminal justice system weather crises, achieve stability, and meet longer-term goals on the way to becoming full participants in community life.
ITEMS NEEDED:
• bedding (twin and full sheets, pillow, blankets)
• kitchen basics including dishes, silverware, cutting board, potholders, towels, pots and pans
A school kit may provide the only supplies for children returning to school after the disruption of war. School kits help parents continue their children's education, even while living in a refugee camp, for example. A school kit may also be used in adult literacy classes.
Each kit includes:
• Notebooks of wide- or college-ruled paper approximately 8" x 10" totaling 150-200 sheets (if using 70-sheet notebooks, please include three); no loose-leaf paper
• One blunt scissors (safety scissors with embedded steel blades work well)
• One 30-centimeter ruler, or a ruler with centimeters on one side and inches on the other
• One pencil sharpener
• Six new, unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers; secure together with a rubber band
• One eraser approximately 2" long
• 12 sheets of construction paper in assorted colors (if necessary, fold in half to fit into the school kit bag)
• One box of 16 or 24 crayons
CONNECTICUT FOOD BANK
The mission of Connecticut Food Bank is to alleviate hunger. They strive to do this by supplying food products and resources to our member agencies, and promoting public awareness about the problem of hunger.
Founded in 1982, Connecticut Food Bank is an affiliate of America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network. It is the largest centralized source of donated, emergency food in Connecticut. Through warehouses in East Haven, Fairfield, and Waterbury, and distribution sites in New London and Stamford, we provide food products to more than 650 soup kitchens, shelters, food pantries and daycare programs in Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, and Windham counties.
Food Items Most Needed
100% Fruit Juice (cans / bottles / boxes)
Powdered Milk
Canned Vegetables & Fruit
Rice / Dry & Canned Beans
Chunky Soups & Beef Stew
Spaghetti & Sauce
Macaroni & Cheese
"Sugar Free," "Low Sodium," & "No Salt" items
Tuna & Other Canned Meat
Personal Care Items Most Needed
Shampoo, Toothpaste, and Toothbrushes
Diapers, Detergent, and Deodorant
Shaving Cream, Razors, and Hairbrushes