Adult Mission Trip  Tentatively March 13-18, 2022
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. Our Fall 2021 trip took place in Wilmington, NC, working with Habitat for Humanity in one of the ReStore stores and at two home construction sites. We are tentatively planning two trips in 2022: one in the early Spring and another in the Fall. We anticipate working in Eastern NC again and then somewhere farther afield. We usually have small projects around the church campus we help with as well when the need arises.  Contact: Judy Finch Ide at jfinchide@hotmail.com  for more information or to sign up as a volunteer for future trips. 

Backpack Buddies ongoing, monthly
Our Backpack Buddies ministry helps to feed children in our community who are facing food insecurity. We partner with three local elementary and  middle schools to provide easy-to-prepare meals they can take home over the weekend when they don’t have regular access to school meals. There are several ways to 
support this ministry by lending a helping hand. You are welcome to join our monthly packing events where we select food items and bag the  meals for delivery.  Volunteers are also asked to help by delivering the bagged meals 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 closest to 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  February 6 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. In addition to blood donations, there are also opportunities to volunteer time to facilitate the success of each drive. The need for blood is especially great now as drives have been impacted by the pandemic, and TBC has developed safety protocols to ensure the safety of its donors and volunteers.  Our next blood drive is scheduled for February 6.  Contact: Gary Skinner at garyskinnerwf@gmail.com.  Sign up to donate or volunteer to help!

 

 

Community Garden ongoing, weekly
WFPC's Community Garden, lovingly referred to as the Giving Garden, has become a food production project providing fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables year-round. The produce we harvest helps to provide food to an average of fifty households per week through donations to our local food pantry and meal kitchens in the Wake Forest area. 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. Participation in the Giving Garden is open to the community, and visitors are welcome. A sign-up link is offered weekly through the Leaflets newsletter. Contact Pam Schulze  wfpcgivinggarden@gmail.com to learn more about how you may become involved. 
 

Family Promise  January 2-9, 2022
Please keep the Family Promise participants, staff and volunteers in your prayers, as the challenges of homelessness are compounded in these COVID times. Once again, during our assigned host week January 2-9, we will not have families stay at our church home. The organization is continuing to use a different model where the families experiencing homelessness are housed in an apartment building rather than going to churches. During that week we will support through donations of food and meals. Our next host week is scheduled for June 12-19th. Hopefully by then we will be able to support and welcome families in person. For more information please contact Trish Floyd at pjfloyd90@gmail.com or Charlene Shafer at charjshaffer@gmail.com

Golf Outing
The annual fall Mission and Outreach Golf Tournament that was scheduled for this October was canceled due to the rapid increase in COVID cases.  We will plan on rescheduling this event in the spring of 2022. 

Tri-Area Ministry  ongoing, monthly
WFPC collects non-perishable food donations and egg cartons that correspond to the needs of our neighborhood Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry in downtown Wake Forest. A list of requested items is always available on the TAM website at https://triareaministry.com/donate/. Your donations may be dropped off in the designated collection bins located in the Narthex Donation closet or at the collection table near the CLC entrance closest to the parking lot. Please contact Armin Harrell at alharrell48@gmail.com to volunteer with our monthly food deliveries to the pantry.

VA Veteran’s Ministry  ongoing, monthly
This ministry works to support the needs of the Durham VA Volunteer Office as they serve our food-insecure veterans. We stay informed of their needs for food and other necessities. Twice yearly, typically on the Saturday of Memorial Day and Veterans Day weekends, we hold an all-day food drive hosted at Lowes Foods, Capital Blvd. (across from the church). The proceeds are then delivered monthly to the VA Volunteer Office emergency food pantry for veterans in need. In 2021 we held our first “Undie Sunday,” requesting contributions of underwear and t-shirts to donate in addition to the food. Contact Benny Hoots at rhoots@nc.rr.com or Bonnie Hoots at momhoots@nc.rr.com for more information on how to assist this ministry with purchases, packing, and deliveries. 
 

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