Spreading Warmth

by Susan Vaala

It was one of those really cold days at the end of March.  The temperature hovered around 18 degrees when the Food Cupboard opened its doors that morning and guests crowded in, glad for warmth of the room and the hot coffee.  Volunteers had packed bags of food and lined them up for distribution and arranged the display of “choice items.”  We were ready to go!  Thirty-five people would be served that day.

About midway though the morning, a young man came to the sign-in table with a special request – he needed a blanket, explaining that he had just moved to a new place with no heat.  Blankets are not part of the Food Cupboard supplies.  However, we would make every effort to be of help.

A volunteer inquired at the church office.  Staff member Cindy Mark thought that perhaps the Knitting Group might have something among their hand-made throws that are donated to friends who are homebound.  She would check.  Soon she appeared carrying a, double-layer fleece blanket made by the Church’s Youth Group.  You could see the young man’s face light up from across the room!  This cozy blanket would definitely keep him warm and he was thrilled.

Kudos to Food Cupboard volunteers who upped their game; to Cindy Mark for her willingness to jump in with a creative solution; and for members of the youth group for their project of making the blankets for people in need.

If this ministry (or one of the other Outreach ministries at Third Church) speaks to you, please consider supporting them by volunteering your time, your energy, your expertise, and/or you money. For more information on the Outreach ministries at Third Presbyterian Church, [click here] to visit their website, or contact Lynette Sparks, Associate Pastor for Outreach and Evangelism at: lsparks@thirdpresbyterian.org