THE
DOVE CONNEcION
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THE
DOVE CONNEcION
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---------- 2007 Update ----------
'And all the believers lived in wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met.' (Acts 2:44-45, The Message)
We didn't sit down and plan this program - it took off on its own. We have become a connection between those in need and those who have resources and the desire to pool them. Meeting the needs of people is part of our mission to empower the community, and we anticipate that this program will keep growing.
It started with food. As we pray 'Give us this day our daily bread,' we are asking for food not just for ourselves but for all God's people. There is food in plenty, but it is not distributed fairly, and too much food is thrown away unnecessarily. We connected with Green Harvest Food Pantry, first as a way of feeding our kids, then by helping to distribute monthly boxes of food and other supplies to a number of families in need of help. We then connected with the Head Start program so that some of their families could be fed too.
It doesn't end with food. Last Christmas, Green Harvest connected us to a Naperville church which provided wonderful gifts to the families who were receiving food - warm bedding and clothing, household items, books and toys. We have been given Bibles to distribute, and school supplies, boxes and boxes of school supplies. We distributed these in the fall to get the kids off to a good start at school, and then we restocked their book bags after Christmas. It is amazing how much the kids appreciate these gifts.
We are now receiving phone calls and e-mails from people offering items they no longer need, and from people whose company is making a collection or wishes to sponsor a family. They have heard about our ministry, and they wonder if we could identify someone in need. Yes, we can. We are making connections so that more people may experience Shalom, the peace and justice of God.
---------- 2006 Update ----------
In November 2006 we held our first Clothing Fair with all the clothes that had been donated. Clothes were laid out on tables in the dining room at Fourth Street UMC during a Dove Club meeting, and parents and others, including our contacts at Jump Start, were invited to take as much clothing as they could use, free of charge. God gives in abundance. Younger kids with parents were invited to eat dinner with us. Dove Club kids were also allowed to choose clothing items, and they had a lot of fun doing so. After a couple of weeks, the remaining clothing was moved to Nueva Vida UMC.
We have increased the number of people receiving food from Green Harvest, and we have been able to reach the Hispanic community, thanks to our new Adult Program Coordinator, Irene Ramos. Families received turkeys at Thanksgiving and hams at Christmas, in addition to the regular food supplies.
The Christmas gift program was greatly expanded this year. We worked with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville in their Shining Star program. They provided gifts that folks had requested, the gifts were delivered to us, and we sorted them and directed them to our Shalom families, and to Nueva Vida, Jump Start and families from other agencies. We received about 500 gifts for 150 families, and the Shalom elves were kept very busy.
Celebrating 10 years of working in Central Aurora to empower the community
