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Mission and Outreach
Fall 2023 Opportunities

Questions? Want to get involved?
Email johnfawcett@wakeforestpres.org
Reaching out to others is part of the DNA of Wake Forest Presbyterian Church.

Take a look at the opportunities to get involved this fall!  You will see that many of our Mission and Outreach ministries focus on food insecurity, but there are also opportunities in disaster relief, healthcare, and holiday giving.

Adult Mission Trip 
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. While we know there is still natural disaster work to be done, it has been decided by our team, to work/help around our campus and the community of Wake Forest and the Triangle area as needed for 2023/2024. We will be assisting the ministries of facilities, the Giving Garden, WFPC pre-school, WTB, and others as the need arises. Contact: Judy Finch Ide at jfinchide@hotmail.com for more  information or to sign up as a volunteer.


Backpack Buddies
WFPC has been partnering with the Backpack Buddy program for over 12 years.  BPB helps to feed children in our community.  We serve 50 children per week at three local elementary and middle schools.  We supply food-insecure children meals they can take home over the weekend when they don’t have regular access to school meals.  There are several ways to help. One is by volunteering at our monthly backpack packing events held on the second Saturday of the month in the red mod at 9:30 am.  We also need delivery people to bring the bags of food to the three 3 local schools.   We also are in need of food donations to help keep our inventory supplied. 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
WFPC partners with The Blood Connection (TBC) to host two 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. Contact: Gary Skinner at garyskinnerwf@gmail.com.

 

Christmas Angel
During the Christmas season, WFPC helps to spread joy in Wake and Franklin Counties by supporting children and families in need as identified through our local social service agencies.  Each year we have an angel tree (located in the Narthex) and use SignUp Genius to distribute gift requests for families identified by social services that are in need of  assistance.   Contact Carol Winans-Geiser at carol@winans.com for more information. 

Community Garden
WFPC’s Giving Garden provides seasonal fruits and vegetables to households year round through several local food distribution groups. The garden is supported by congregation and community volunteers. All produce harvested is donated each week to help address food insecurity in our communities. 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 24 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.  The actual walk is “home-grown.”  Keep your eyes out for specific details!

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 90 families each week.  Volunteers collect donated food from local grocery stores, supplemented with private donations and donations from local churches, including WFPC. The WFPC community garden provides fresh produce to the Pantry.  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, the Food Bank provides a truckload of food for the pantry to hand out to families in need.  Help is needed unloading the truck, setting up, handing out food, and cleanup.  For additional information, please contact Paul Swartz at swartzp51@gmail.com or 919-215-6216.

VA Veteran’s Ministry
The WFPC Veterans ministry works to support the Durham VA Health Care Systems Center for Development & Civic Engagement to provide for food-insecure veterans & their families. Twice yearly, usually on the Saturdays of Memorial Day and Veterans Day weekends, we hold an all-day food drive at the Lowes Foods (across from the church). The donations are then sorted by food type, expiration date and stored. Any monetary donations are used to supplement additional items needed to fulfill our monthly donations throughout the year to the VA food pantry for our veterans in need.
Contact Bob or Karla Frye eyrf456@gmail.com or karla.frye1@gmail.com
 

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