The Move Was Incredible!

It occurred to me today, that I never told the story of our move… better late than never, eh?


On April 4, we moved into Phase 1 of our facility with the help of over 150 fabulous volunteers in our community. Trucks and people literally poured into the parking lots of both buildings and miraculously, we were able to get everything from the old building and into the new in just over 4 hours!

Special thanks go out to the following:

* Bethany Swoape – for teaching us all of her amazing organizational tips for a smooth move.

* Chuck Miller and crew from The Paint Spot and many volunteers from Nappanee Missionary Church who provided several BIG trucks to move the big stuff (and people who knew how to drive them!)

* Moxie Robinson who took great pictures and documented the day!

* Trinity UMC Youth who spent 2 entire days here the following week (Spring Break) helping us get everything into place.

All of these people made it possible for us to open our doors on Monday April 13, after only 5 short – yet busy – days of closing.

Thank you Elkhart!

Moving Help Needed!

We are moving ahead in faith and hope! Church Community Services is moving into its new home!

Contractors and volunteers, under the very conscientious guidance of Bruce Barwick, Project Manager, have been hard at work the past six months readying this building for staff to move into. The move has been made urgent by the fact that our current building has been sold and we need to vacate by April 30.

This move only represents the completion of Phase I. About the time we move ground will be broken for Phase II, a 4,000 sq ft addition to house a new larger food pantry and SOS production area. For this to become reality we still need to raise $400,000 to reach our $1 million capital campaign goal. Cash donations or multi-year pledges for the building may be sent to CCS, P.O. Box 2346, Elkhart, IN 46515. The campaign will go to churches and the public after Easter.

What: Moving Day
Where: From our old facility (629 S. Third St. Elkhart) to our new facility (907 Oakland Ave. Elkhart)
When: Saturday, April 4 (Please plan to arrive between 9 am – noon)

We need people to help with:
- loading & unloading (mostly boxes and some furniture)
- dismantling and moving shelving units
- reassembling shelving units

If you would like to assist with our move, please contact Sharon at (574) 264-3396.
Thank You!

Blog Series: Finding Hope in What Feels Like a Hopeless Situation – Phyllis Hostetler & Lena Marble

Phyllis Hostetler – Volunter, & Lena Marble – Front Desk Staff

You can’t give up hope when you continue to see people donating money and food.
A lot of them come in and don’t want any recognition or receipts, saying to us, “Just put it to good use.” So many people are willing to help the elderly or women with young children bag or carry groceries out to their cars.
We see hope here every day.

Renovation Help Needed!

What: Volunteer work day
Where: At our new facility – 907 Oakland Ave. Elkhart
When: Saturday, February 28 (9 am – 3 pm)

We need people to help with:
- Installing ceiling tiles
- Cleaning floors for carpeting
- Cleaning windows
- Cleaning & polishing wood doors
- Cleaning cabinets
- Cleaning glazed block walls

If you would like to assist with any of these tasks, but are not available this Saturday, please contact Sharon at (574) 264-3396.
Thank You!

You Take The Cake Annual Fundraiser brings in almost $21,000

Church Community Services is deeply indebted to many in this community for their contributions to our recent successful fund raiser, You Take the Cake.  We’re grateful to the several hundred businesses and individuals who donated gift certificates, merchandise and funds.  The many special desserts given by bakers and chefs around the area were fabulous and great taste treats. 

 

The real stars were the guests who participated by enjoying the meal and contributing to make it a successful evening.  Of course we could not have pulled this off without the help of many volunteers from our supporting churches, Honor Society and Key Club members from Goshen High School, former clients, plus staff and board members.

 

Special acknowledgements go to our event sponsors:  Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Hopman Jewelers, Classic Transport, and Trinity Gardens.  Additional thanks go to these individuals who went above and beyond with their time and skills—Debbie Chris, Pat Watson, Barb Fridley, Michael Delfine and Joy & Roy Dabbs.

 

We are blessed to be part of such a generous and caring community.  We especially appreciate this ongoing support as we see a growing number of people coming to us for food, rent, utility and prescription assistance.  May God bless each one in this season of sharing.

 

Dean Preheim-Bartel

Executive Director

Church Community Services

 

CCS on YouTube!

Thank you to the amazing James N. Weber for developing this video for us.  It shares Church Community Services from the volunteer’s perspective. 

Thanks for looking!

!Explore Soup of Success!

We were blessed to have yet another volunteer group helping out at Soup of Success for two days last week!  The !Explore program is a theological program for high school youth through AMBS, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, which is located in Elkhart.  Through this program, they explore theological questions, develop their gifts in leadership, and do service in the community.  We were thrilled that they decided to connect with the Elkhart community this year to do their service projects, and that Soup of Success was one of the agencies where they volunteered their time!  While at Soup of Success, they helped put together soup, cookie, and dip mixes and got to learn more about Church Community Services, our Client-Choice Food Pantry, and about the needs in this community. 

Below, Kent (!Explore Event Pastor) and Joseph (AMBS Campus Host) sort beans in preparation for making Ruth’s Five Bean Soup!

!Explore participants (below) putting together dip mixes.  This group assembled and tied 162 Double Chocolate Kiss of Mint cookies, wrapped 216 Santa Fe dips, assembled and tied 341 All-American Chicken & Stars soups, and assembled 274 All-American Chicken & Stars spice packets in just two afternoons!  Thanks for your help, !Explore, and we hope to see you back next year!

June Volunteer Groups

In the month of June, 155 individuals provided 436 hours of volunteer time assisting with soup production!  Groups included Fabric Services, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Waypoint Community Church, Southside Fellowship Church, Prairie Street Mennonite Church, Church of the Living Word, River Oaks Community Church, First UMC of Goshen, Current & former employees of the Department of Family Services, Wednesday’s Table – 1st Presbyterian Church & the Catholic Heart Youth Work Camp.

Thank you to members of “Wednesday’s Table” small group from 1st Presbyterian Church in Elkhart for coming and helping us make soup mixes!

Youth from all over the country gather each summer for the Catholic Heart Work Camp.  Each year, SOS is blessed to get one of the teams for 4 days during camp.  This year, the youth were invaluable help with SOS soup & dip production,  yard work, and moving “extra” stuff from the current building to the new CCS warehouse.   It’s great to be able to spend some extended time with this group each year and get to know themo n a more personal level.

“No one, but no one, can make it out here alone…”

The above is a truth spoken in one of Maya Angelou’s poems, which the graduates, staff and volunteer mentors of Soup of Success recite together at our monthly reunion nights, celebrating our shared support, our sisterhood of success. 

Last Thursday night, I basked in the synergy of 30 different women from all over our community–ages 23 to 84–retirees, professionals, job seekers, homemakers, students, women with disabilities, service and retail workers–married mothers, single women, single mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, step-mothers, and women with no children–teachers, gardeners, entrepreneurs, scientists, readers, nurses and artists–So different from each other, from different circles, and yet one in our understanding of the power of women and the power of women together.

We ate taco salads and cookies prepared by Elkhart Valley Church of the Brethren.  We made a rainbow of clay figures with which to introduce ourselves to the group.  We played silly question games.

I particularly enjoyed watching our new mentoring pairs meet one another.  Each woman at SOS is matched with a volunteer from the community who agrees to be an encouraging support on the path of growth, building resources and economic security, pursuing dreams.  I’m excited for them to discover each other’s gifts, to see life and our community through new lenses, to find new parts of themselves.   Their introductions were inevitably slightly awkward, but by the end of the evening, they were sharing laughter, encouragements and phone numbers. 

I smiled watching the seasoned mentoring pairs surrounding our new pairs, knowing the stories they’ve shared, the problems they’ve solved, the successes they’ve celebrated.

This, after all, is one of the secrets of success.  Join with others.  Assemble your team. 

You don’t have to go it alone.

For more information about mentoring at Soup of Success, click here.

I look forward to hearing from you.

-Kathy

 

 

 

Spring Tea Success!

The  2008 Spring “Tea with Ruth and Friends” was held on May 3 at Living Faith Fellowship Church in Elkhart.  This year’s tea raised $3045 for CCS and it’s  Soup Of Success program, over $400 more than the last Spring tea! 

 Jack Donis serves tea with a smile.

One of the unique opportunities available at the Teas are free car rides with Steve Stoner (below) and his beautiful antique car.  Steve attends both the Spring & Christmas teas and is available to answer questions, pose with pictures, and even chauffer you on a little jaunt around the neighborhood.

The 1927 Model A Ford drew attention parked outside of the Living Faith Fellowship Church in Elkhart.

Don & Ruth Rockwell (pictured below) are long term supporters of Church Community Services.  Don, a former CCS Board member, works as a part time client counselor working directly with clients in crisis.  Don also serves as the Financial Officer, managing our books and fiances.  In 2006, Don was named CCS’ “Volunteer of the Year”.  Ruth leads a team of over 100 volunteers in implementing (2) Victorian fundraising teas each year.  In addition to the many “labor-of-love” hours dedicated to tea preparation, Ruth also serves as the Congregational Partner (liason) for River Oaks Community Church.  In 2007, Ruth was awarded the Soup Of Success “Souperwoman Award”  in recognition for going above and beyond.

There are plenty of activities available for the littler tea guests as well including:  children’s crafts, face painting, games, and of course – tea!

Tea goers are delighted by the wide array of amazing delicacies available.  There are even people on hand to explain what each item is along with information of it’s origin and history.  Tremendous treats to delight both young and old!

Along with the admission fee of $5 and a canned good for the CCS pantry, “Tea Baskets” are one of the ways that the tea raises funds for the agency.  All but 4 of the 142 gift baskets made for the event were sold.  The baskets were available in all sizes and themes.  Whether you were looking for a special mother’s day gift, or something for baby, anniversary, birthday, etc., you were sure to find a unique, affordable gift for every need.

Below, members of a local Red Hat Society club browse through the themed baskets available for sale.

Already, the tea volunteers are hard at work on the Christmas tea.  Mark your calendars for December 6, 2008!