Mission and Outreach
Fall 2022 Opportunities 

Adult Mission Trip  September 11-16

In 2005, after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast of the U.S., a group was formed to respond to this natural disaster and a ministry was formed. Groups of adults have traveled and assisted in other areas of the country with disaster recovery, mostly through the PC(USA) division of Presbyterian Disaster Relief in the years since that first trip.  In recent years, the trips have been to communities in Eastern NC still impacted by the storms that come year after year.  Planning is underway for a trip this Fall which will take place September 11-16. Contact: Judy Finch Ide at jfinchide@hotmail.com for more information or to sign up as a volunteer for future trips.

Backpack Buddies

This ongoing ministry helps to feed children in our community.  We partner with three local elementary and middle schools to supply food-insecure children meals they can take home over the weekend when they don’t have regular access to school meals.  If you’d like to help,   we are packing weekly meals of canned food items and delivering them for distribution to the schools.  If you’d like to donate food we routinely use canned soups, ramen noodles, canned chicken and tuna, canned pasta, mac n cheese, canned vegetables,  canned fruit, canned chili, Pop-Tarts, oatmeal and juice boxes. (No glass please, and easy open 

tab tops are always preferred.) Food donations may be dropped off in the collection bins located in the Narthex Donation closet or at the collection table near the CLC entrance near the parking lot. If you would like to volunteer in any way to support this program, please email Heather Wheeler at heathersb73@yahoo.com for more information. 
 

Blood Drive  October 2 at WFPC
WFPC partners with The Blood Connection (TBC) to host three blood drives a year. TBC is a community blood supplier primarily serving NC, SC and GA. Donors provide lifesaving blood to neighbors and friends in our region. There are opportunities to not only donate blood but to volunteer time to facilitate each drive’s success. During the pandemic, the need for blood is especially great, and TBC has developed safety protocols to ensure the safety of its donors and volunteers.  Our next blood drive is scheduled for October 2nd. Contact: Gary Skinner at garyskinnerwf@gmail.com.

Christmas Angel
During the Christmas season, WFPC helps to spread joy in the Wake Forest community through supporting children and families in need as identified through our local social service agency.  This year we will be having a giving tree (located in the Narthex) which will have names of people identified by social services that are in need of  assistance.   Contact Carol Winans-Geiser at carol@winans.com for more information. 

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Community Garden
WFPC's Giving Garden provides seasonal fruits and vegetables to over 100 households with food insecurity per week, year-round.  There is always a variety of work to be done in the garden, suitable to different ages and ability levels.  With our commitment to making our garden user friendly, we have installed table planters for adults and children, including wheelchair accessible planters.  We also have a shade tent and a misting station to provide heat relief in the summer months. Participation in the Giving Garden is open to the community, and visitors are welcome.  Contact Pam Schulze wfpcgivinggarden@gmail.com.
 

CROP Walk  September 18 at WFPC 
The CROP Walk is a great mission that helps bring the reality of global hunger to the surface. The rise of people impacted by these COVID-19 times has only meant that food insecurity and meal insecurity are on the rise -- locally, nationally, and globally.  You can sign up to join the team at https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2022/event/trianglenc

Family Promise  
Family Promise, formerly Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network (WIHN), along with area churches, provides professional case management as well as food, shelter and transportation for families experiencing homelessness as they work to restore their independence. Churches provide food and fellowship to families during a one-week stay at the church facilities. Families stay overnight in the church and in the mornings are transported to the Family Promise center in Raleigh for the day where they are provided with day care for their children, transportation, transitional housing assistance, job placement assistance, financial counseling, family crisis counseling and much more. Families return to the church later in the day where they are hosted with dinner and fellowship . COVID has put this mission into a state of flux, and we are awaiting word from Family Promise to let us know when they’ve resumed asking churches to host on-site.  Currently, WFPC hosts families for two weeks per year.  Contacts are Trish Floyd at pjfloyd90@gmail.com and Charlene Shaffer at charjshaffer@gmail.com. 

Journey Ministry  Food Pantry
The Journey Ministry Pantry (thejourneyministrypantry.com) is a faith-based nonprofit organization in Youngsville providing food to needy families in Franklin and surrounding counties.   It currently serves about 30 families, and is expected to double in the coming months.  Volunteers collect donated food from local grocery stores, supplemented with private donations and donations from local churches, including WFPC. The WFPC community garden has been providing fresh vegetables to the Pantry for the past few years.  Journey welcomes volunteers to pick up food at local grocery stores, pack the boxes we hand out, and assist with food distribution on Tuesday afternoons.  Quarterly, on Saturday mornings (next dates are September 3 and December 3), the Food Bank provides a truckload of food for the pantry to hand out to families in need.  Help is needed from 6:30 am to noon (or whatever time you can work) unloading the truck, setting up, handing out food, and cleanup.  For additional information, please contact Paul Swartz at swartzp51@gmail or 919-215-6216.

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Si Seiler Golf Outing  October 1 at 1:00
The annual fall Mission and Outreach Golf Tournament (now known as the “Si Seiler Golf Outing”) will take place on October 1 at 1:00 pm at the Wendell Country Club, with a rain date of October 8.  Dinner for this event will take place immediately afterwards at the clubhouse.  Various sponsorships are available.  Golfers of all skill levels are welcome. 

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VA Veteran’s Ministry
This ministry works to support the Durham VA Volunteer Office and food-insecure veterans.. Twice yearly, on Memorial Day and Veterans Day weekend, we hold an all-day food drive at Lowes Foods (across from the church). The proceeds are then delivered monthly to the VA Volunteer Office emergency food pantry for veterans in need.  The food donated from the drives as well as purchased food (when needed) is delivered monthly to the Durham VA for the food-insecure veterans.  The food drive dates will be close to Memorial Day and Veterans Day on a Saturday. Contact Benny Hoots at rhoots@nc.rr.com or Bonnie Hoots at momhoots@nc.rr.com.