HEDGES CHAPEL
PERSONAL OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES
(How can I help?)
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Hedges Chapel is a giving church which is part of a larger giving community and the Outreach Committee is truly blessed to be among such generous people. For information about our work, please see our annual report to the congregation. But apart from that work, we as individuals may ask ourselves “How can I help my community more?”
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Each month the Hedges Chapel Outreach Committee will share some ideas for how you may assist the committee, personally get involved in an outreach need in the community, and/or donate items sought by various social service groups or agencies supported by the Chapel. This section will be changed monthly to coincide with communion Sunday, the first Sunday of the month. We hope it will inspire you to learn more about and actively participate in various outreach efforts in our area of Berkeley and Morgan Counties.
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Each month we will try to feature a different agency that involves personal involvement and/or direct donations of items. For more information about any particular entry, please contact the organization or group noted. To see the organizations featured in past months, go to our archives section.
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​What we're doing now: At the end of November, the Outreach Committee circulated its list of non-perishable food basket items being sought for its Christmas food basket. Please note that we are only seeking these items since our fresh food items are designed to complement these items in our basket. While it may seem preferable to give us cash, in many cases we need the non- perishable items more. When we don’t have enough of particular items, we have to buy them at the last minute prior to the holiday when they may not be easily available in the store. We order our fresh items in bulk three to four weeks prior to our distribution date and generally are able to get what we need. For those who prefer to donate cash, these funds help us to buy extra items for the basket that we would not be able to provide otherwise within our budget. We also sponsor a Christmas Angel project to supply gift boxes of clothing to the children of our food basket families. We will provide for 11 families at Christmas with a total of 62 individuals.
The Martinsburg Union Rescue Mission is this month's featured organization. “For I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in.” Matthew 25: 35. The mission has an abundance of programs, primarily for the local homeless population. They provide nights lodging at three facilities, their oldest one for men in Martinsburg, another for women in Berkeley Springs, and a new facility for families in Martinsburg. Perhaps the largest program is their meals program, serving 3 meals a day. They are on track to do well over 100,000 meals this year and so need a lot of volunteers to do that, every day not just on holidays. Donations of canned goods are always appreciated as are laundry supplies, cleaning supplies, and paper products. At Christmas they give out gifts to their mission residents and guests after the Christmas Eve Chapel service. The list of items that they are interested in would be on their website as well as on the back of the newsletter posted on the bulletin board In the fellowship hall.
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The Martinsburg location has a very active recycling program and also accepts many types of items for resale at its thrift store located directly next to the mission. Thrifters are often surprised at what they find there.​
Furniture, household items and items of clothing ​​are often supplied to families and individuals.
Hedges Chapel Outreach Committee
Getting Personally Involved with The Union Rescue Mission
Volunteers needed by The Union Rescue Mission:
Kitchen Volunteers: The mission is seeking groups and individuals to help in their kitchen. Volunteers would enjoy helping prepare and serve a meal for those in need throughout the community. They serve around fifty for breakfast, one hundred for lunch and one hundred for dinner. Their mission serves three meals a day seven days a week.
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Front Desk Volunteers: Front desk volunteers help answer the phone, collect information from donors, and interact with those needing assistance. They need volunteers for both morning and afternoon shifts.
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Thrift Store Volunteers: The thrift store is the perfect place for someone who loves to interact with the public. Those who volunteer help customers with questions, keep things stocked and organized, and spread the Salvation message. Volunteers are needed Monday – Saturday 9am-4pm.
If interested in becoming a volunteer, contact the mission at (304) 263-6901 or fill out the form on the website.
For additional information, visit https://martinsburgunionrescuemission.com/ or phone (304) 263-6901.