Geocel, a local Sherwin-Williams company, helps Elkhart County residents

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Aid, Church Community Services, Civic Engagement, Civic Service, Empowering Women, Food Pantry, Helping Neighbors, Love, Need, Service, Soup of Success, Volunteer

Elkhart County’s Church Community Services quickly found ways for Geocel employee volunteers to assist them in serving the Elkhart County area.

Last Wednesday, 9 employees from Geocel assisted Elkhart County’s Church Community Services in a variety of ways. From 12:30 – 2:30, one group helped the Food Bank of Elkhart County sort hundreds of pounds of food, while the other group helped Soup of Success by assembling over 150 ‘No Worry Vegetable Curry’ soups.

The Sherwin-Williams Company often encourages their employees to find ways to give back to their own communities. So recently Sherwin-Williams contacted Church Community Services in the hopes that they could connect with Geocel, a local Sherwin-Williams company that specializes in sealants and adhesives. The goal was to determine if the Geocel leadership team might be able to engage their employees in the Elkhart community in a sustainable, meaningful way.  Because of the large demand for help throughout Church Community Services’ organization right now, they quickly found work them to do.

Continue reading HERE.

To donate to Church Community Services, visit their website or Facebook page and click on the donation button! Or call (574) 295-3673. So far, 14,787 families have been helped by Church Community Services in 2013

CHURCH COMMUNITY SERVICES

NEEDS WOOL SWEATERS!

If you come across wool sweaters in a thrift store or in the depths of your basement, attic or closet, Church Community Services would love to have them! The mittens being made from them are gorgeous and help empower women.

CHECK OUT: Church Community Service’s New Food Pantry

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Church, Church Community Service, Civic Engagement, Civic Service, Community Service, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Business Donations, Elkhart County Indiana, Food, Food bank, Friends, Good Deeds, Goshen Indiana, Helping, Helping Friends, Helping Hand, Labor of Love, Michiana Tea Party Coalition, Neighbors, Volunteering, We the People 912

Labor of Love, which included businesses from St. Joseph and Elkhart counties, as well as “We the People” 912 and  the Michiana Tea Party Coalition distributed 80 bins and were among the first contributors to the new pantry.

More and more Elkhart County families are struggling on a daily basis to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. It isn’t just the unemployed either. Parents are working multiple jobs and skipping meals just so they can make sure their children are fed.  They have tough decisions to make every day: whether to fill up the car or put food on the table; whether to pay the utilities or put food on the table; whether to pay the rent or put food on the table. All it takes is one illness, one dead car battery or one rent hike and they can no longer take care of their family without help.

For those without family or friends nearby, Church Community Services provides hope , in the form of food and education and finanacial assistance to families going through hard times in Elkhart County.  When families are living in poverty, they have to do without a lot of things – food should not be one of them.

Tuesday, September 4th, 2012 was a huge day for Church Community Services.

It was the grand opening of Church Community Services’ long awaited renovated food pantry and warehouse.  Church Community Services has been working towards making this transition for 4 years.  The new building will give them the resources, space, and opportunity to better serve needs in our growing community.  It will allow them to store and distribute more food. It  will be cleaner and more welcoming, and will give space to be more volunteer- and client- friendly. They will also be able to put more focus on education, such as providing handy recipes and nutritional facts.

The new pantry is 1,225 sq. ft. compared to the former 494 sq. ft.  The new warehouse is 2,910 sq. ft. compared to the current 1,680 sq. ft.  There is also a 864 sq. ft. welcome center complete with a children’s area, and a prayer room for anyone who feels a need to pray. Lots of love and labor was put into this project, and IT SHOWS!

This nutrician video, full of advice on meal planning, preparation and nutrition runs 24/7 in the waiting room.

Amazing things happen when we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit’s prayer. Church Community Service’s new pantry facility includes a chapel to assist client’s needs.

Here is part of the children’s play area where volunteers watch the children while their parents shop at the pantry.

The ‘Seed to Feed’ vegetables look so good! Fresh garden vegetables are ALWAYS so appreciated.

Mary Kneller, Food Director for Church Community Services, generously used up some of her very valuable time to show me the new facilities. It was a real pleasure.

Elkhart Citizen proud to help his Elkhart County neighbors

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Appreciation, Church Community Serices, Civic Engagement, Civic Service, Community, Community Engagement, Dave Hochstetler, Donation, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Indiana, Feed, Food bank, Food Pantry, Franklin Citgo, Fresh Garden Vegetables, Garden Crops, Generosity, Grateful, Green Beans, Harvest, Harvests, Helping Neighbors, Mr. Singh, Need, Neighbors, Ron Robinson, Seed to Feed, Tomatoes, Volunteering

“This a testament to the reach of hunger and the plight of people in need. What an excellent expression of Elkhart…. ” said Rob Robinson, executive director of Church Community Services in response to Mr. Singh of Franklin’s Citgo’s generous donation.

“Elkhart as been good to me and my family. I want to give something back to this community.” Mr. Singh, owner of Franklin’s Citgo, said his generous gift to Elkhart families in need was  his way of giving back to Elkhart County.

Thank you, Mr. Singh, for the financial gift you brought to us from your business. You’re helping us extend hope to lots of your neighbors. What a pleasure to meet you,” Rod Roberson, executive director of Church Community Services, is most appreciative of the support Church Community Services has received from businesses like Mr. Singhs and from much of the Elkhart Community.

The results of some of ‘Seed to Feed’s” first harvest. I can hardly believe the summer and food picking season is almost over.

Church Community Service’s Weekly ‘Seed to Feed’ Update…

Hi Everyone,
As summer is coming to a close, so will our gardens. But, we still have
some good harvests left to pick. We will go back to our regular schedule:
the Bullard Garden on CR17 will be picked on Monday, Sept 10th at 6:00 p.m.
This will probably be about our last picking. We might have one more on the
17th of Sept, but we will let you know.

The Goshen Garden on CR 36 will be picked on Tuesday, Sept 11, at
6:00 p.m. and we should have a “stellar” harvest of tomatoes and peppers. The
green beans are just about finished, but we still might get some this next
week.

The potato field will be tentatively be ready to pick up next Friday,
Sept.14. The field will be “turned” and then we have a 24 hr window to
pick up the potatoes before they turn green which is not good. We will need
about 50 volunteers with 5 gal buckets to pick them up and load them into
the containers that will then be loaded onto the semi. Date and details to
follow next early next week.

And finally, I’d like to thank the 7th grade class of St. Thomas School
for their wonderful support of the Seed to Feed program. They came to CCS
yesterday along with their teachers and mothers, took a tour of CCS to see
what happens on a daily basis at the Food Bank and then came to the Bullard
Garden to pick beans. The students, 50 in total, along with their teachers
and mothers all got down in the dirt and picked 430 lbs of green beans in
2 hrs. It was a good learning experience for the kids and what a wonderful
blessing for the Food Bank and the people they serve. Thank You kids,
teachers and mothers for your wonderful support!!!
Have a great weekend and we’ll see you at the gardens as we close out
the harvests over the next few weeks, and don’t forget the potato field.
Details will follow next week.

Blessings
Dave Hochstetler
Coordinator of the ‘Feed to Seed’ Program

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Help Labor of Love fill Elkhart County’s food pantries

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Church Community Services, Civic Engagement, Community Service, Elkhart County, Elkhart County 4-H Fair, Elkhart County Indiana, Elkhart Indiana, Emergency Food, Food Pantry, Give, Indiana, Republican Party (United States), Starbucks, United States

Your food donations are needed.

For 44 years, Elkhart Church Community Services Church Community Services, a faith-based not-for-profit agency has helped people in Elkhart County, Indiana, weather life’s storms and build more secure futures. They do do this through emergency assistance and intensive job and life skills training.

So far, in 2012 Church Community Services has assisted over 16,000 families.

Leave your non-perishable food items at businesses in boxes displaying this sign.

Food drop-off locations

Elkhart: Hart City Resale Store, Martin’s Grocery, Starbucks (U.S. 33), GOP Elkhart Victory Center, Miles Lab Restaurant, Sport’s Time Family Pub, McDowell Plating Co., Dibley Chiropractic Center & Family Video Stores

Goshen: Family Chiropractic Clinic

Wakarusa: Larimer Furniture Store, The Dime Store, The Dollar General Store (on Hwy. 19), Forest River Corp.

Mishawaka: Futon Factory, All Famiy Video Stores, B & B Molding and the Mishawaka GOP Victory Center

Kids waiting in the pantry while their parents shop.

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‘Strong Woman’ from Soup of Success…because we need to hear MORE good news

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Challenge, Church Community Services, Civic Engagement, Community, Community Service, Constitution, Education, Education Empowers, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Indiana, Ensuring Success, Family Fun, Food, Food Pantry, Freedom, Goshen, Indiana, Life Skills, Need, Soup of Success, Volunteer, Volunteering, Women, Work

Need some inspiration?

WEEKLY ‘SEED TO FEED’ UPDATE…IT IS ALL GOOD!

Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2012 7:45 AM
Subject: Seed to Feed Weekly Update

Hi Everyone,

This past week we had two great harvests at both of our gardens. There
were 29 volunteers who showed up at the Bullard Garden on Monday and 25
volunteers at the Goshen Garden on Tuesday. Thank You all.

We are moving the time of the Bullard Garden picking to 6:00 p.m. We are moving the time of the Bullard Garden picking on Monday evenings. We still need 30 volunteers to pick green beans and sweet corn. Although we will pick on Monday evenings, if anyone wants to pull weeds between the rows, please do so at your own time schedule. If more weeds are pulled,that means more beans get picked. The Bullard Garden is
directly across from Sorg Jewelers, C.R. 17. With 30 volunteers, weeds pulled and fast pickers, we could pick a 1000# of green beans in 3 hrs—-we have lots of beans!!!!!

The Goshen Garden has tons of green tomatoes that should be ready
soon. We will pick every Tuesday at 6:00pm and it is located at 14723
C.R. 36. Last week with 25 volunteers, we picked 11 boxes of beans, tomatoes
and peppers in 1 1/2 hours.

This was a great week and thanks to ALL the volunteers that came and
helped pick. See you Monday and Tuesday at the gardens.

Blessings
Dave Hochstetler

We ARE our brother’s keeper: Elkhart County works together to assist neighbors in need

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Benefit, Civic Engagement, Community, Community Service, Depression, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Indiana, Food Banks, Food Pantry, Gardens, Indiana, Need, Recession, United States, Vegetables

Helping hands come in all shapes and sizes.

Elkhart County’s community gardens bring people together of all ages and from every walk of life. You DON’T have to be an experienced gardener to be of assistance. One woman who picked beans last night told me that she had never before picked a bean in her life. But, she said she likes how working in the garden makes her feel. “This feeds people here in our community,” she explains. “We can get a little sweaty and dirty for someone else. Giving back is a good thing.”

Despite this summer’s earlier drought, I do not think it possible for the bean crop to have been MORE prolific. I have NEVER seen bean bushes so laden.

As the economic recession keeps demand at food banks running high, the “big need” and “big hearts” keep “Seed to Feed” volunteers motivated.

Hi, it’s me. I cheated and brought a garden cart to wheel around on.

Get involved! We believe God will continue to bring people and resources together to produce a harvest of vegetables as well as fruit in the lives of those giving and receiving.

Wow! Look at the results. According to Dave Hochstetler, Seed to Feed Coordinator, yesterday volunteers picked 210 pounds of beans and 94 pounds of cucumbers and tomatoes. All from the Goshen farm!

These tomatoes will be SO appreciated by Church Community Service’s food pantry clients!

‘Seed to Feed’s’ coordinator, Dave Hochstetler, says that the vegetables are coming in so plentifully that “Seed to Feed” needs 30 pickers each time: Mondays at 9 a.m., Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Tell your churches, tell your clubs, tell your families. Great group project. Call Dave for details: 574-349-4905 or dhhooch@aol.com .

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• Community Gardens ribbon-cutting Wednesday in Schenectady (timesunion.com)
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Come to the Table: Dinner/Auction Event

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Amish, Auction, Chef, Civic Engagement, Civic Minded, Civic Servic, Clothing Assistance, Dinner, Donors, Food Pantry, Friends, Fundraiser, Medical Assistance, Mediication, Nappanee, Nappanee Indiana, Neighbors, Northern Indiana, People helping People, Philanthropic, Silent Auction, Utility Assistance, Well Baby Care

C O M E   T O   T H E  T A B L E

D I N N E R / A U C T I O N  E V E N T 

A UNIQUE CULINARY EXPERIENCE YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS!    \

SATURDAY AUGUST 11, 2012

6 to 10 p.m. at the newly renovated Coppes Commons

Upper Room Event facility – 401 E. Market St., Nappanee, IN

Featuring locally grown food prepared by some of Northern Indiana’s most noted Chefs, including…

Kevin Crouch of Charlie’s Butcher Block and Deli Stephanie Hapner of Crazy Day

Gourmet Steve Helmuth of Rocket Science Ice Cream

Emily Hershberger of Veni’s Sweet Shop

Chase Hinton of Cerulean

Andrew Jones of Viand Chef Services

Pat Knott of Classic Catering / The Old Train Depot

Zach Lucchese of Lucchese’s Renee Lyles of Table 52, The Brown Trout, Chicago, IL

Dustin Mattern of Mattern’s Butcher Shop and Corner Deli

Amy Maurer of Elegance in Thyme (Nelson’s) Karla Miller of Teapot & More

Marcus Miller of Main Street Coffee

Margaret Potuck of Happy Dance Cupcakes

Loren Shaum, Local Chef and Cookbook Author Scott Woods of Noa Noa

Local Farms & Food Providers…

Clay Bottom Farm

Four Rail Farm

Goldwood Gardens

Grass is Greener Meats & Produce

John’s Butcher Shop

Maple Leaf Farms

Martin’s Super Markets

Olive Branch Rentown

Amish Country Store

TICKETS $60 PER PERSON

All proceeds will support Family Christian Development Center which served more than 5,500 families in 2011 through its food pantriy, well-baby programs, clothing ministry and programs in medication and crisis assistance.

Family Christian Development Center
151 South Locke St
Nappanee IN 46550
Phone: (574) 773-2149
Fax: (574) 773-5337
Email: fcdc@fcdcin.org

Office Hours:
Mon-Fri 9am-12pm & 1pm-4pm

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Volunteers needed this week to help Seed to Feed’s garden (part of Church Community Services)

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Civic Engagement, Civic Service, Community, Community Church Service, Community Service, Fellowship, Fresh Air, Garden, Gardening, Good Exercise, Green bean, Helping, Helping Neighbors, Home, Philanthropic, Philanthropy, Volunteer

Our first Seed to Feed harvest — so beautiful. Much more to come!

There are some really IMPORTANT events coming up this next week. Volunteers are needed to pick green beans at the Bullard Farm on Monday, Aug 6th at 9:00 a.m.

The location is on CR17, just south of CR14 on the west side of the road. It is directly across from Sorg Jewelers. 8 to 10 volunteers are needed.

‘Seed to Feed’ also needs help picking produce and tying up tomato plants in the Goshen garden. The meet-up time is at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug 7th. The garden is located on CR 36, just east of CR 33 by about 4-5 blocks on the north side.  As they start to get good yields from the garden, ‘Seed to Feed’ wants to thank all the volunteers who come out to help and to welcome our newest volunteers who are joining our weekly updates.

Thanks to the Elkhart community for supporting the “Seed to Feed” program.

When the Seed to Feed program started, there were only two people and an idea. Now the group has 40 members and 70 acres of land. Dave Hochstetler is the coordinator for the Seed to Feed program, which is trying to grow fresh produce for Church Community Services, an Elkhart food pantry. The group held its first harvest on Tuesday with volunteers coming out to help pick.

The garden is one acre, full of peppers, onions, corn, bell peppers, tomatoes and green beans. They have 70 acres of land total, with some acres full of crops they can sell and use the proceeds to buy produce at auction.

Volunteers working in the garden in Goshen.

While the program only extends to Church Community Services, its organizers hope to expand it so they can help all of the 30-plus pantries in the Elkhart County area.

The Future Farmers of America chapters for both NorthWood and Fairfield high schools have also become involved in the project. Students from the Future Farmers of America from both Northwood and Fairfield came out to Tuesday’s harvest.

Director of Food Services Mary Kneller came out on Tuesday to pick vegetables. Since CCS feeds about 2,500 families a month, it would take a large project to be able to feed all of them fresh vegetables.

“This is self-sustaining,” she said. “It’s exciting.”

The group started last winter and planted the seeds in late May and will continue harvesting throughout the summer and will be looking for people to help. They are also looking for other people to donate land they can use for gardening.

Kneller said she didn’t know what to expect when they first started the program. Right now the group has 70 acres and hope to grow that number until they have enough land to be able to feed all the hungry families in the area.

“It’s Elkhart County taking care of Elkhart County,” she said.

More about ‘Seed to Feed’ HERE and HERE.

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Saturday night: ‘Elkhart Memorial grad to hold concert, food drive to benefit Church Community Services’

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Caring, Church Community Services, Civic Engagement, Civic Service, Community Activism, Community Service, David Phelps, Elkhart County Indiana, Food bank, Friends, Helping, Josh Groban, Neighbors, Paxton Manly, Saturday, Volunteer, Volunteering

The county fair may wind down this weekend, but the music scene won’t, and all a fantastic show will cost you is a canned good.

A recent Memorial High School graduate, Paxton Manly will perform in his third annual concert/food drive to benefit Church Community Services (CCS) Saturday, July 28 at 7:00 p.m. The concert will be at the First Baptist Church, 53953 C.R. 17, Bristol (on the edge of Elkhart in the Six Span Bridge area). Manly offers a night of live music entertainment covering artists including Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Coldplay, U2, The Beatles, David Phelps, the Gaith Vocal Band and many more.

Your admission price? A non-perishable food item or monetary donation to CCS.

An interview of the Food Services Director, Mary Kneller, about the services CCS offers, as well as interviews of food pantry clients about their experiences.

Information from

• Elkhart Memorial grad to hold concert, food drive to benefit Church Community Services (etruth.com)

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