March 23rd, 2023

Dear friends,
It is almost time for Send Hunger Packing (SHUP) assembly on Saturday! I know just how much preparation, planning, shopping, and donating has gone on by so many of you in order to make our goal of 200 SHUP (Send Hunger Packing) weekend bags, in partnership with Mercer Street Friends. The weather forecast for Saturday looks like rain, which I think helps us all to find passing a morning in the church fellowship hall assembling these bags together the perfect rainy day activity. Hope to see as many of you as can make it. Remember, you can come for as long/short a time as you like between 10am-1pm.

I also wanted to let you know that there is one more opportunity to get fully into the spirit of Lent, a season not only for reflection but for acts of service, and that is to join with ArminArm (formerly Crisis Ministry of Mercer County) and the Centre Street Boys and Girls Club for their Super Saturday event on April 1st.

My family and I volunteered with ArminArm a few Saturdays back at their newest food donation warehouse at the Mill One building in Hamilton. ArminArm helps folks in our community with food, housing, and job support. Their mobile food pantry will be at the Centre Street Boys and Girls Club on April 1st from 11am-1pm in order to hand out food to neighbors there.

They need volunteers to help with the following:
Prepare bags of fresh produce
Prepare bags of frozen meats and (or) eggs
Replenish bags as they go & helping distribute the bags
Taking basic information from clients before they receive food

If you would like to take part in this volunteer opportunity, you can reach out to ArminArm’s volunteer coordinator, Shariq Marshall. You can contact her at (609) 396-9355 ext: 21 or shariqm@arminarm.org. I can’t make it for this April 1st event, but hope to make another one in the near future. I’ve reached out to Shariq to share more info on future opportunities.

Blessings!
Pastor Shannon