Communion Offering: Mercer Street Friends Food Bank

 

20121107-202343.jpgThis Sunday, August 2, our Communion Offering will support the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank.   It has been a leader in our community ‘s response to hunger in Mercer County since 1987.

The Food Bank originated with a simple aim: to link donated food to people in need. Today they are the largest source of government and privately donated food in Mercer County. 2.5 million pounds of food and groceries are distributed to 60 charitable food providers, such as food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters each year.

Your support enables Mercer Street Friends to provide efficient and effective food collection and distribution so that people in need can access free groceries and wholesome meals from a charitable food provider in their neighborhood.
Thank you for your generosity.

Getting our fingernails dirty — close to home

These volunteer opportunities refer to organizations on PUMC’s outreach web page — or speakers at a United Methodist Men’s breakfast within the past two years. Each has current volunteer opportunities. The PrincetonUMC blog has live links to the web pages.

Boy Scouts of the USA.

CASA: Court Appointed Special Advocates: trained volunteers represent children at court.

Contact of Mercer County: compassionate listening, crisis intervention and safety services.

Cornerstone Community Kitchen: meal prep & cleanup, scheduling, sorting clothing.

Crisis Ministry: food pantry, assistance with rent, utilities, medicines: cooking demonstration assistant, and pantry intake helpers.

 A Future with Hope: rebuilding homes and lives after Hurricane Sandy: weeklong construction projects, or donate, or sell tickets to the Thunder game June 9th.

HomeFront : helping homeless families: tutors, computer tech, clerical

Housing Initiatives of Princeton : paint, probono services, advocate for affordable housing.

The HUB: drop-in Saturdays for those with unique challenges: friendly helpers.

Isles: garden docents, organizing IT equipment, event photographer, special projects

Mercer Street Friends: teach computer skills, write tech support or FAQ documents, collect and refurbish computers, one-time parenting workshops like scrapbooking, resume building.

Not in Our Town: an interracial, interfaith social action group, programs vs prejudice.

Princeton Community Housing: affordable rental housing. need PUMC representative.

Princeton Healthcare System: reception, visiting, retail.

Princeton Human Services: help with events like the Wheels Rodeo.

Princeton Senior Resource Center: Visit shut-ins, read to children, assist in office.

Threads of Hope: once monthly Saturdays — sort clothing, offer hospitality

Trenton Area Soup Kitchen: tutor, serve meals on 4th Tuesdays,

Salvation Army of NJ: teach brass instrument, event photographs, registration, teaching.

Urban Promise Trenton: afterschool and camp programs: tutoring, teaching.

Volunteer Connect: nonprofit for skills-based volunteer jobs

Womanspace: residential emergency shelter program for battered women and their children: tutors, Spanish translators, collecting newspaper stories for  grant applications.