Blog Series: Finding Hope in What Feels Like a Hopeless Situation – Betsy Ayrea

Betsy Ayrea – Director, Soup Of Success
For the rest of the month, we will be featuring stories of hope here on our blog. We could all use a little more of that right? I interviewed some staff, clients, board members, volunteers, etc. asking them about hope, and decided to pull it all together. Make a cup of tea and relax a bit – there is a lot of good stuff here. I hope that it makes you feel a bit more hopeful. ~ Betsy Ayrea

Everyday we are inundated with comments about how “hopeless” things are in Elkhart County right now. We hear it in our everyday conversations, and the media shares stories of layoffs on a daily basis. Investments are dwindling, businesses of all types are closing, lines of people waiting for assistance are growing, and our county continues to make national news as the hardest hit place in the country. Each one of us has been touched by unemployment, either personally or through a friend or family member. People are frightened, people are overwhelmed, and people are feeling helpless.

I feel blessed to work at CCS & Soup Of Success. It feels hopeful here. We give hope, share hope, and empower others to feel hope. It is a place where the community comes together – churches of all different denominations, companies who want to help, individuals, both employed and unemployed – for the good of the community.

Every six weeks or so, David Moser, Pastor at Southside Fellowship Church, comes in and does devotionals with the staff. Last month, his focus was on “waiting.” We talked about people waiting in line for assistance, and all of us waiting for the economy to improve. Something that has stuck with me since then is his realization that ALL waiting is rooted in hope & trust, and that God is present in the waiting. “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord…Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27: 13-14) “…but those that hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40: 31)

I have been waiting for CCS to move into a larger building so that we can help more people. I have been waiting for people to feel each other’s pain and to extend a compassionate hand. I have been waiting for people to be moved to action. I have been waiting for us all to work together to be the body of Christ. I have been waiting for hope: for people to experience hope, and most importantly – share hope. What personal responsibility can I take, can we each take, for sharing hope with each other?

My own pastor, Mark Fenstermacher of Trinity UMC, sends out a weekly email. A couple of weeks ago, he mentioned this: “New and good and deep things are happening in the lives of people right here…right now. People are being fed, weary souls are being revived, the lonely are experiencing community, and God is still blessing.” It struck me that one of the big ways this happens is through CCS. That, in and of itself, gives me hope.

Students, Employees, Businesses Give Back to the Community

With Soup of Success soup mixes, cookie mixes, and dips being sold in thirty-seven different locations across the United States (not to mention our gift basket, fundraiser, and individual sales!), it can be difficult to keep our shelves stocked. The women in the Soup of Success program are involved in all aspects of this gourmet foods business, including production of the mixes – but meeting the demand wouldn’t be possible without volunteer groups!

We have been blessed by some wonderful groups of volunteers in the last month that have given their time and energy to Church Community Services and Soup of Success: Bethany Christian High School students, Key Bank employees, and Fabric Services employees. In giving of their time, each of these volunteer groups helped to support the women in the Soup of Success program as well as the larger mission of Church Community Services and Soup of Success. Volunteers are truly the backbone of our agency, and we are overjoyed to have Bethany Christian High School, Key Bank, and Fabric Services be part of the Soup of Success family!

Bethany Christian High School students (above, L-R: Leanne Hochstetler, Erin Helmuth, Katie Hoekstra, Weston Troyer, Jen Sharkey, Matt Weaver) make Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Mixes during the school’s annual day of service.

Key Bank employees (above, assembling Positively Potato Soup Mix) spent a day at Soup of Success and ended up with astounding production totals!

(Above, Key Bank employees sort beans.)

They assembled 887 bags of soup, 229 soup spice packets, and 298 dips; wrapped 167 dips; tied recipe cards on 473 bags of soup; labeled 777 mixes; and cleaned 250 lbs. of beans.

Wow! A big Thank You to Key Bank!

Fabric Services employees (above, assembling Positively Potato Soup Mix) also gave generously and assembled 394 bags of soup, 460 soup spice packets, 1,133 dips and tied recipe cards on 224 bags of soup. The group of volunteers from Fabric Services was also part of a larger company legacy: a priority to give back to the community. Fabric Services makes products for the RV industry; as RV production has slowed down, so has business for Fabric Services. Instead of laying off employees though, Fabric Services decided to give back to the community. They have started paying employees to volunteer at places such as Church Community Services and Soup of Success. The compassion and generosity shown by Fabric Services is truly wonderful!

Reporter Ed Ernstes (above) from WSBT came to Soup of Success to catch the Fabric Services story and learn how Fabric Services is giving back to the community – find out more by reading or watching WSBT news!

To learn how your group can give back to the community, email us at Soupofsuccess@aol.com or call us at 574-523-1551.

We’re live

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.)