Church Community Services News

There have been several wonderful articles about Church Community Services, Soup of Success, and the SOS Mentoring Program in the Elkhart Truth recently. To learn more about the recent CCS & SOS buzz in the papers, click on the articles below!

Students Give Back to the Community

Truth Editorial: Mentors Key to the Soup

Mentors Keep Soup of Success Cooking

Truth in Video

“We were getting pretty desperate in the food pantry - this food drive took place at a crucial time.” - Wayne Harter, CCS Food Pantry Coordinator

Throughout the week of May 5-10, mail carriers in Elkhart delivered an extra piece of mail to homes and churches - a brown paper bag. Much as if it were at a grocery store, these brown paper bags were then filled with food and groceries. However, the grocery-filled paper bags were then delivered to the Post Office on Saturday, May 10. One brown paper bag of food arrived, and then another one - and another - and before long, 12,000 pounds of donated food items were collected, transported to Church Community Services, and sorted. Wayne Harter, CCS Food Pantry Coordinator, remembers that this annual food drive has gone on for as long as he has volunteered at Church Community Services, seven years, and that food donations this year significantly increased from the 5,000 pounds of food donated last year.

Nearly 40 volunteers from River Oaks Community Church, Hively Avenue Mennonite Church, and CCS Food Pantry Volunteers were present on Saturday to aid in the transportation and sorting of food. Before food can be placed on the food pantry shelves, it must be sorted; this allows for the food pantry shelves to be restocked easier, and allows Harter to see which items the food pantry is lacking. Currently, baby food, personal care items such as toothbrushes, and toilet paper are all still in low supply at the food pantry - and in high demand by food pantry clients. Church Community Service’s food pantry is a client-choice pantry and is the largest in Elkhart County, serving 1300 families and individuals every month.

Didn’t receive a brown paper bag in your mailbox? Call Church Community Services at 574-295-3673 to find out how you can donate food to the client-choice food pantry. To see pictures of the Food Drive, go here.

Interested in an escorted bike ride throughout Elkhart County? A blessing of your bike and yourself? Music, fellowship, food and door prizes?

Interested in a fashion show and dessert bar?

Interested in supporting families and individuals in need throughout Elkhart County?

Interested in helping to feed the hungry and provide assistance to people in crisis?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then come to the benefits happening this weekend!

On Saturday, May 17, 2008, Creekside Church of the Brethren is hosting their second annual Blessing of the Bikes and Riders and escorted ride through Elkhart County. Registration is from 9:00am - 11:00am, the blessing of bikes and riders is at 11:05am, and the ride departs by 11:30am. Music, fellowship, food, and door prizes are following the ride, and there is a $15 requested donation per rider - and all proceeds are donated to Church Community Services! Creekside Church of the Brethren is located at 60455 CR 113, Elkhart, IN, 46517; for more information, contact blessingofthebikes@creeksideconnected.com or visit bikes.creeksideconnnected.com. This weekend will hopefully be a beautiful one - so come out and support Church Community Services at the Blessing of the Bikes!

Another fundraiser benefiting Church Community Services is happening on Sunday - ‘Dude Looks Like a Lady’. The latest fashions for women will be modeled… on men! This fashion show fundraiser is at 6:00pm on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at Jamestown United Methodist Church (59218 CR 3 South, Elkhart, IN, 46517). Tickets are $20 and there is a dessert bar reception immediately following the show. For ticket information, call 574-293-3905. ‘Dude Looks Like a Lady’ promises to provide an evening of fun with all proceeds going to Church Community Services!

Support Church Community Services this weekend at Blessing of the Bikes and Dude Looks Like a Lady!

Guest Blogger Vonda here…

“Volunteers Plant the Seeds of Kindness” was the theme of our 2008 volunteer appreciation picnic. This year we were at Studebaker Park pavilion in Elkhart.

It was a gorgeous day to celebrate our volunteers and we enjoyed a delicious homemade meal of sloppy joes, chips, fruit, deviled eggs, and dirt pudding.

We recognized all of our hard-working volunteers and thanked them for their committment to Church Community Services. Special awards were handed out to Don Rockwell and Brenda Toews for completing their terms of service on the Board. Sarah Thiessen (above, receiving award from Soup of Success Director Betsy Ayrea) was honored as our first ever Mennonite Voluntary Service worker.

Jan Grodnik (in absentia) was given the Soup Of Success “Souper Woman” Award for 2008 (above: Jan Grodnik, L, receiving Souper Woman Award from Vonda Horst, R).

The “CCS Volunteer of the Year” award was given to Jim Victor (above, receiving award from Executive Director of Church Community Services, Dean Preheim-Bartel).

Both indoor and outdoor activities were planned for and enjoyed by people of all ages, including badminton, bubbles, bingo, scavenger hunt and card games. Of course, the best part of the day was just being all together and enjoying each other’s company.

Can’t wait until next year!

Welcome to Church Community Services’s brand new blog. This could be the start of something big. Stay tuned.

People come to us struggling to make ends meet. They may be disabled or elderly, stretching a fixed income. Some are recently laid off, or working but not making enough to support their families. Many are single mothers trying their best to raise their children.

We offer respect, hope, and compassion as we seek to assist people like this.

(Take it, Betsy.)