Date Set for Goshen’s 4th of July Fireworks

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2013, 4th of July, Celebrate America, Community, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Indiana, Family Fun, Fireworks, Fireworks Display, Indiana, July, Music

Goshen’s Celebrate America recently held its kick-off meeting at First Baptist Church in Goshen, Indiana.  Celebrate America’s 2013 fireworks display and  patriotic program will be held Sunday, July 7th, at Black Squirrel Golf Course. Two musical groups, Exalt Brass and Gold will perform during the evening.

The patriotic program will begin at about 8:00 PM and the fireworks will go off at dark (about 10:00 PM). There is no charge for admission and free parking will be available at the First Baptist Church of Goshen, or Goshen Middle School. Both are on the corner of Plymouth and Indiana Ave. and are just a short walk from the Golf Course. Handicapped parking is available at the Golf Course. Bring your blanket, lawn chairs, lawn games, and picnic for a relaxing and fun family friendly evening! Concessions will be available.

According to Goshen Celebrate America’s president, Greg Lanzen, Celebrate America’s annual firework display is just the icing on the cake.  “We celebrate with a party,” Lanzen said, “but the rest of the year we are busy overseeing different parts of Celebrate America with a patriotism education program at Goshen’s middle and elementary schools and with our veterans program.”

As part of the veteran’s program, Goshen’s Celebrate America partners with local veterans organizations to help send WWII, Korean, and Vietnam veterans to Washington D.C. to tour the city and Washington D.C.’s military memorials.”

Here is a video of Goshen’s VFW Post’s 2009 trip. Maybe you’ll see yourself or someone you know on this video:

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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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• We ARE our brother’s keeper: Elkhart County works together to assist neighbors in need (elkhartcountygrassrootshub.wordpress.com)
• Help Labor of Love fill Elkhart County’s food pantries (elkhartcountygrassrootshub.wordpress.com)
• How to get emergency assistance in Elkhart County for utility bills (elkhartcountygrassrootshub.wordpress.com)

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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• We ARE our brother’s keeper: Elkhart County works together to assist neighbors in need (elkhartcountygrassrootshub.wordpress.com)
• Elkhart County Sheriff impliments program that saves county money and reduces future crime (elkhartcountygrassrootshub.wordpress.com)
• How to get emergency assistance in Elkhart County for utility bills (elkhartcountygrassrootshub.wordpress.com)

‘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

Tags

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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• How to get emergency assistance in Elkhart County for utility bills (elkhartcountygrassrootshub.wordpress.com)
• A Network of Community Gardens – Now Online (greenvilleforwardthinking.com)
• Grant awarded to West End Community Garden (salisbury.wbtv.com)
• Community Gardens ribbon-cutting Wednesday in Schenectady (timesunion.com)
• Field Notes: Las Monjas Community Garden (enterprisecommunity.typepad.com)
• Community Gardens 101 (theurbn.com)

44th Annual Middlebury Summer Festival: Friday and Saturday

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Community, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Indiana, Fun, Kid's Games, Music, Pancake and Sausage Breakfast, Teen Dance

Friday & Saturday August 10 & 11, 2012

Memorial & East Parks in Downtown Middlebury

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10

Mark Tripp ‘s Family Magic Show is filled with magic, illusions, comedy, juggling, puppets and much more. This comedy magic show has been at company banquets, country clubs, cruise lines and comedy clubs nation wide.

– 11:00 a.m. Vendors Open
– 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mark Trip
– 6:30 p.m. Tractor Pull held by Elkhart County Garden Tractor Pullers
– 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Kids Games! A variety of games and prizes for kids. Coordinated by Waypoint Community Church. (Beside Fire Station on Bristol Street.)
– 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Total Recall not only remembers the glorious 60’s and 70’s. They were there. Let them take you back on their musical journey back in time. (Entertainment tent.
– 8:30 TO 10:00 p.m. Teen Dance (East Park Pavilion)

Saturday, August 11

– 7:00 to 10:30 a.m. Pancake and Sausage Breakfast

– 9:00 a.m. 5th Annual Fishing Tournament

– 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Hey Kids, Its Jammin

– 11:00 a.m. Vendors Open

– 11:00 to Noon Northern Lights and Starlights

– 1:00 p.m. Festival Parade

FOLLOWING THE PARADE:

– Tae Kwon Do Demonstration (East Park)
– Distinguished Young Women of Middlebury (Entertainment Tent)
– Presentation of Parade Awards(Entertainment Tent)

Velvet Water is a bluegrass/americana/rock inspired jam band from Winchester, KY.

-5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Velvet Water
– 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. DANG!

The Red Barn/Humane Society of Elkhart County needs resale items

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Abandoned Animals, Adopt a Pet, Bristol, Cats, Community Service, Dogs, Elkhart County Indiana, Friday, Fundraising, Humane Society of Elkhart County, Indiana, Pets, Rabbits, Saturday, Small Animals, The Red Barn Resale Shop, United States, Volunteer

The Humane Society of Elkhart County’s ‘Red Barn Resale Shop’ is accepting gently used clothes, furniture, household items, books and gift items.

Donations can be dropped off at the Humane Society of Elkhart County, 54687 C.R. 19, Bristol, Indiana. ( One mile off of C.R. 17 off of S.R. 120.) For more informantion call: 574-848-4225.

~ Sale Days ~

Please join us on our sale days Friday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. including August 10 & 11; PET FEST DAY on August 18 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; August 27 & 28; September 14 & 15; September 28 & 29; October 12 & 13; October 26 & 27; November 9 & 10.

They depend upon us. PLEASE don’t let them down.

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URGENT: Make calls for Jackie, Mike & Richard…nothing you can do will help them MORE!

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Elkhart County Indiana, Indiana, Jackie Walorski, Mike Pence, Phone, Phone Bank, Republican, Richard Mourdock, Victory Center, Volunteer, Winston Churchill

Jackie Walorski, Mike Pence and Richard Mourdock at the opening Elkhart Victory Center.

PHONE BANKING: NOTHING YOU CAN DO WILL HELP OUR REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES MORE!!!

This is not a fund raiser. It is not pejorative. However it is crucial that Richard Mourdock’s, Jackie Walorski’s and Mike Pence’s supporters man the phones and sort through the data to identify our voters.

It is quick. It is easy. The Victory Centers are air-conditioned. There are drinks and snacks. And you will get to spend time with friendly like-minded people.

Jackie cranking out the calls with her supporters today in Mishawaka. JOIN US!

SEE YOU SATURDAY AND IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE ELECTION!

Some thoughts from Bob Moore…

On May 10, 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister. When he met his Cabinet on May 13 he told them that “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” He repeated that phrase later in the day when he asked the House of Commons for a vote of confidence.

“We are in the preliminary stage of one of the greatest battles in history…. That we are in action at many points … and many preparations have to be made here at home.

“I would say to the House as I said to those who have joined this government: I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.

“We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering.

“You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs and Victory in spite of all terror. Victory, however long and hard the road may be…for without victory there is no SURVIVAL.”

Elkhart Victory Center
1630 S. Nappanee St
Elkhart, Indiana
Open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Mishawaka Victory Center
512 W McKinley Ave. (at the corner of Grape and McKinley)
Mishawaka, Indiana
Open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Coming to Elkhart — 1st Annual Elkhart Freedom Ride and Bike Night Rally

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Benefit, Bristol, Community, Community Service, Elkhart, Elkhart County Indiana, Firefighters, Fundraiser, Good Cause, Goshen Indiana, Jim Ballard, Jim Vance, Middlebury Indiana, Nappanee Indiana, Police, Support Military, Volunteer, Wounded Warriors

Hundreds of motorcycles will be rolling through the Elkhart community soon to honor the families of wounded and fallen troops. (Photo/Channel 16)

Hundreds of motorcycles will be rolling through the Elkhart community soon to honor the families of wounded and fallen troops. The Freedom Ride and Bike Night Rally will happen Saturday, August 11. Members of local law enforcement bike groups will ride through Elkhart, Bristol, Middlebury, Goshen, Nappanee, and Wakarusa escorting local families of soldiers killed in action.

Organizers say they aim to draw people out to line the roads in support of the families.

“What makes us do it is our patriotism,” said Jim Ballard, Corporal of the Elkhart City Police Department. “We believe in this community, we believe in what the soldiers did for this community”

“I have a lot of friends and buddies who have injures from previous wars and this one, who have served 20 years and to have my family involved in 3 different wars, it’s really kind of a key point to me,” said Jim Vance of the Elkhart Fire Department.

Read more HERE and HERE.

Musical Acts