Our Past Year In Review:
As we close out our fiscal year in June I wanted to take the oportunity to thank you and your church family for your support this past year. We are truly blessed here at Canandaigua Churches in Action (CCIA) to have such a caring and giving church family. Without your support we could not accomplish what God has planned for us here in our community.
I would like to give you a snap shot of what we have been able to accomplish this year. The CCIA food pantry served emergency food to 4,841 families at our two locations. This number reflects 13,501 adults, children and elderly who benefited from access to emergency food. Hunger insecurity remains a concern here in our community.
The “Supply A Smile” Dental Program helped 135 individuals with free dental care, and our one day “Free Smiles Day” helped 126 individuals with free dental care. Pastor Joan has done an amazing work in providing this greatly needed service. We give thanks to the many dental offices and professionals that have given their time to make this a huge success. We are currently making plans for next year’s monthly dental program and free smile day.
CCIA is in our third year of the Back Pack Program, working with the Canandaigua Primary – Elementary School to provide backpacks filled with different food items to help provide meals at home for our kids during the long school breaks. Through the kindness and generosity of a donation we were able to add an additional distribution day this year. We averaged 130 back packs during these 5 distributions. We are exploring the possiblity of expanding this to once a month and even two times a month in the coming school year. We are seeking help to fund this important need. On average it costs $375.00 for each distribution.
The “CCIA Resource Room” continues to see 25- 30 individuals seeking a variety of services each week. Using our many emergency providers here at 120 N. Main and the other programs in our county we look to connect those in need with the different service(s) that are available here to assist them. We continue to partner with Fidelis Care, NY Law, and Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes. We are thankful to have St.Vincent de Paul, Care Net, and Anthony Jordan here at 120 N. Main St.
The CCIA Mobile Food Pantry started its 5th season in June. This once a month food distribution has been an added source of help for families in need of food. We set up a farmers market type setting in the back parking lot at the Thompson Apartments. Foodlink provides a truck load of various food items that our volunteers will set out for distribution. We are thankful for our volunteers who work outside in the rain or sunshine. We are thankful for the abilty to use the First United Methodist Church parking lot. This space allows our guests and volunteers a needed place to park. This Mobile Pantry will run once a month on the last Saturday of the month through October.
Again, thank you for your kindness and generosity in supporting Canandaigua Churches In Action. Without your help we could not accomplish our mission to our families. We are always looking for more volunteers. If you have a group or individuals who would be interested in serving please have them contact me.
As we close out our fiscal year in June I wanted to take the oportunity to thank you and your church family for your support this past year. We are truly blessed here at Canandaigua Churches in Action (CCIA) to have such a caring and giving church family. Without your support we could not accomplish what God has planned for us here in our community.
I would like to give you a snap shot of what we have been able to accomplish this year. The CCIA food pantry served emergency food to 4,841 families at our two locations. This number reflects 13,501 adults, children and elderly who benefited from access to emergency food. Hunger insecurity remains a concern here in our community.
The “Supply A Smile” Dental Program helped 135 individuals with free dental care, and our one day “Free Smiles Day” helped 126 individuals with free dental care. Pastor Joan has done an amazing work in providing this greatly needed service. We give thanks to the many dental offices and professionals that have given their time to make this a huge success. We are currently making plans for next year’s monthly dental program and free smile day.
CCIA is in our third year of the Back Pack Program, working with the Canandaigua Primary – Elementary School to provide backpacks filled with different food items to help provide meals at home for our kids during the long school breaks. Through the kindness and generosity of a donation we were able to add an additional distribution day this year. We averaged 130 back packs during these 5 distributions. We are exploring the possiblity of expanding this to once a month and even two times a month in the coming school year. We are seeking help to fund this important need. On average it costs $375.00 for each distribution.
The “CCIA Resource Room” continues to see 25- 30 individuals seeking a variety of services each week. Using our many emergency providers here at 120 N. Main and the other programs in our county we look to connect those in need with the different service(s) that are available here to assist them. We continue to partner with Fidelis Care, NY Law, and Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes. We are thankful to have St.Vincent de Paul, Care Net, and Anthony Jordan here at 120 N. Main St.
The CCIA Mobile Food Pantry started its 5th season in June. This once a month food distribution has been an added source of help for families in need of food. We set up a farmers market type setting in the back parking lot at the Thompson Apartments. Foodlink provides a truck load of various food items that our volunteers will set out for distribution. We are thankful for our volunteers who work outside in the rain or sunshine. We are thankful for the abilty to use the First United Methodist Church parking lot. This space allows our guests and volunteers a needed place to park. This Mobile Pantry will run once a month on the last Saturday of the month through October.
Again, thank you for your kindness and generosity in supporting Canandaigua Churches In Action. Without your help we could not accomplish our mission to our families. We are always looking for more volunteers. If you have a group or individuals who would be interested in serving please have them contact me.
CCIA NEWSLETTERS
Supply A Smile was recently awarded the 2019 Choose Health Ontario Award. We congratulate Pastor Joan and the SAS team of volunteers and the many professional that give of their time serving our community with dental care.
FREE SMILE DAY!
Free Smile Day: Spreading Free Smiles Across Ontario County.
“Supply A Smile”, “Gullo Dental” and Canandaigua Churches In Action are partnering once again to provide a day of free dental services to any Ontario County resident, 18years of age and older who has no dental insurance. The services offered are fillings, extractions and cleanings. Patients will be served on a first come, first served basis.
When and Where?
Gullo Dental
330 N. Main St.
Canandaigua, NY
Saturday, May 18, 2019
8 am- Noon, 1 PM- 5 PM.
What if more extensive dental care is needed?
Free Smile Day event is NOT able to provide all manner of dental care services. However, we recommend that patients requiring additional treatment, explore contact with “Supply A Smile”. Supply A Smile provides dental screenings on the FIRST SAT. of each month- Sept.- May at 9 AM the Canandaigua Primary School.
(For more information, contact, Joan Wood- Director of Supply A Smile-
supplyasmile@gmail.comor 585-376-2242 )
COMMUNITY GARDEN
In 2013 CCIA was approached by FOODLINK to expand their Community Garden efforts into Ontario County. This garden was sponsored by a grant that provided all the materials to construct 10 raised bed gardens. This grant also provided the topsoil, compost and plants for the garden. The name we have selected, “Goshen Gardens” is located at Zion Fellowship. Each year pantry families are encouraged to be a part of the community garden. It gives families the experience of having and caring for a garden while providing fresh produce through the harvest season.
Workdays are set aside to work together to help clean and prepare the raised beds for planting. After the risk is over for the last frost, a day will be set for planting. Once planted, the garden needs to be cared for. Families will be given a specific day during the week that they will be responsible for to come in and water the garden and weed as needed. Water and tools are provided for families to use.
This is a community garden project, and all families that participate will share in the produce during the harvest season. It won’t be long now before the gardening season begins. Know someone who would benefit from being part of the community garden? Have them call Pastor Jeff at 394-7450, x-311.
DRESS A GIRL…FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
What little girl doesn’t love getting new dresses? But for girls living in extreme poverty around the world, a new dress is something they can only dream of. Enter “Dress a Girl Around the World”, a program that provides simple but pretty dresses for girls in third world countries.
Sadly, in many countries, little girls have no value in the community and are treated worse than livestock. Any girl who looks as if she doesn’t belong to someone is a target for sex traffickers or other predators. That’s where Dress a Girl comes in. Dresses are made by people here in the US and 16 other countries. Each dress has a Dress a Girl label affixed to the front. The dresses are taken to third world countries by missionaries who distribute them in person. When a missionary meets a girl who is dressed in rags, she kneels down, prays for the girl and slips the dress on her explaining that God loves her and she is valuable. For many of these little girls, this may be the only dress she will own.
Joyce Mahoney and Nancy Bové are involved with the Dress a Girl (DAG) program in Canandaigua. Nancy became involved when Holy Redeemer church was looking for a ministry. She went to a DAG meeting in Brighton and thought it sounded like something they could do. Turns out, she was the only one in her group who could sew! Undaunted, she rounded up about 50 more volunteers. They met at Crosswinds to sew and donate the dresses to Crosswinds’ missionaries. That group eventually dwindled. Currently a group of around 6-12 dedicated people meet every 6 weeks at Good Shepherd Lutheran church to make dresses and dolls for girls. As Joyce says, “We always learn something new about sewing at the meetings. It’s very creative!”
The dresses themselves are simple. They are made of cotton or cotton blends, and each dress has a large pocket in the front. The group also makes dolls to fit in the pocket. The dresses are modest: the length is below the knees, not see-through or too light colored. The seamstresses are free to get creative with trim, buttons, or embroidery as long as the end product is easy to care for.
Last year, the group made 120 dresses and had over 400 dolls, although some of the dolls were donations of Beanie Babies. Dresses have been sent to 82 countries around the world. Dress a Girl also gives clothing to Indian Reservations in South Dakota and Arizona along with sending quilts and clothes to missions in Appalachia. In some cases, the group provides sewing machines to women, teaching them how to provide clothing for their families and communities and perhaps earn money in the process
If you would like to help with this ministry, they are always happy to welcome newcomers. As Nancy explains, “The group is open, anyone can come and help. If you can’t sew you can cut fabric or stuff dolls. We’ll find something for you to do. And we provide lunch!” The group meets on Saturdays from 10AM till 1PM. You can contact Good Shepherd (585-394-2760) for the next meeting date. Donations of fabric are always welcome. Just be sure the fabric is cotton, is not too thin, and has a print that would be appropriate for little girls in foreign countries.
With human trafficking becoming a bigger problem around the world, how amazing to think that something as simple as a new dress can make a difference. As Joyce said, “If our dresses save even one little girl, it is worth it!”
A RECIPE FOR BIRTHDAY FUN
Imagine that even planning a birthday for a family member is outside your budget-even the basics and how that must make you feel.
Another “ministry” through CCIA is creating “birthday bags”. Clients visiting the food pantries can select an already packed bag—filled with all the fixings.
Perhaps your Sunday School classes or another group might decide to make this an ongoing “mission project”. The creation of these gift bags will bring joy to both your group and to the family they touch.
Recipe For Fun
- A small gift bag—sturdy enough to hold the following items—extra fun is to decorate the outside of the bag!
- A box cake mix—any flavor
- Can of icing—your choice
- Pkg. of candles
- Festive dessert-sized plates
- Pkg. of napkins
- Balloons
- Optionals—other ways to decorate that fit in the bag
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