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Minute for Mission
Back Bay Mission
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by Rick Greene
MISSION GRANTS TEAM MEMBER
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As a ministry of the United Church of Christ, the Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi, draws on a national network of support. It brings a network to bear on poverty and marginalization on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Through the UCC, it draws on supporters who are invested in serving the people of the area. Christian values are the basis for a loving, respectful approach to serving the poor and marginalized.
The Mission began in the 1920’s and has been active in the community continuously since that time. In 1962, the Mission began hosting integrated activities. In 1963, Mission staff and volunteers were arrested at the final wade-in on Biloxi’s beaches. In 1963, the Mission hosted the Annual Ministerial Banquet of the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP and was subjected to attacks for several months afterwards, including a cross burned at the Mission.
The Back Bay Mission has a simple mission, it:
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strengthens neighborhoods through ministries like education and empowerment programs and housing rehabilitation programs;
- seeks justice by helping the people they serve become more involved in their communities, educating people about the realities of poverty, and advocating on behalf of marginalized people in the community
- transforms lives, whether they’re helping a homeowner keep their home, mentoring a single mother as she plans her path out of poverty, or working with an intern who is thinking about a career in social work, it’s making the lives of the people the Mission serves better.
The Mission’s statement of belief captures the way that these values inform its services. It believes that all people, regardless of how they come to Back Bay Mission, are first and foremost the children of a loving God and, as such, they have a religious, moral, and social obligation to help the people who come to it to the best of their ability; that all people make sensible decisions given the circumstances they face and the resources that they have; that poverty is best understood as a lack of access to the things a person needs to be treated as a full member of society; and that the best course for helping people out of poverty is a three-tiered approach, involving helping people meet their immediate needs, intensive case management to help them meet new challenges, and peer support networks so that people can receive guidance from others who have faced similar challenges.
The Mission offers a variety of ministries including education and empowerment, emergency assistance, housing rehabilitation, mission trips and internships, and supportive housing. In addition, the Mission’s Micah Day Center provides a safe and hospitable place for homeless residents to gather. For people who cannot make it to the Micah Day Center, the Mission offers homeless outreach services. This Center is unlike homeless shelters in that it is not an overnight shelter but a community resource facility that includes a day center for homeless individuals and families equipped with showers, laundry services, mailboxes, computer and telephone access, and other basic services. It is a Center where people may find respite from the outdoors and attend to personal hygiene while also connecting with vital, mainstream social services, all under one roof.
Information about the Mission’s expenses, income, and data about its clients are available at its 2022 Annual Report.
First Community Church has had a close relationship with the Back Bay Mission for over 30 years, often sending small groups to work at the Mission. Members of this congregation have often supported this Missions, including members of the Board of Directors. The church has also sponsored Shrimp Boils for several years, raising needed funds for its operations. Members and friends of First Community have also participated in mission trips to Biloxi and contributed donations to the organization. To find more information about ways to help Back Bay’s mission to the community, please see thebackbaymission.org
If you would like more information about First Community Church, its other Mission programs, or are interested in joining the Mission Teams, please email us at mission@fcchurch.com.
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Heart to Heart
Monthly Update
by Yohan Kim
FOOD PANTRY MANAGER
April has been a month of steady work at Heart to Heart. As of this writing during the last full week of April, our Pop-Up Pantry has served 123 households, while the Drive-Thru has seen 414, 74 of whom are new. That includes support from First Community, such as our monthly drives, birthday bags from the Youth Ministry, Midweek Missions, Trading Post, Share and Learn Garden, and items from Guild E. Our community partners have also been a huge help over the past couple of months. They include the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, Giant Eagle, Marc’s, Penzeys Spices, CHOP5, Nothing Bundt Cakes, UAHS PTO Shred Day, Grove City Community of Christ, Our Lady of Victory, Tri-Village Packers, Northwest Kiwanis, and Avina Women’s Care.
We had the privilege of receiving eggs, fresh from the pasture, from Oxbow Farm in Maryland. One of our volunteers was helping them out during vacation, only to discover that one of the owners, Julie, grew up near Upper Arlington and attended First Community as a child. The farm is inspired by the Catholic Worker movement, with Julie and her husband, John, putting faith into practice through agroecology.
Our friends and leaders from Semester of Service at OSU have also been phenomenal. Each semester we receive volunteers, with the expectation that they will grow into leadership roles at an accelerated rate. After two semesters, we can say that has been the case 100% of the time. One of them, Maria Glaros, has continued leading Tuesday’s opening shift of the Drive-Thru beyond her obligated time with us. As the current one comes to an end, we bid farewell to Audrey Odier, Emily Wang, and Grace Bates. They are the Volunteers of the Month for May, and we already hear talk of desiring to continue, which speaks volumes about the culture we foster at Heart to Heart.
You can be part of our culture and community by signing up to volunteer, donating food or toiletries, making a financial contribution, coordinating drives, and simply by spreading the word to your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors. Soup, jelly, pads, tampons, and diapers are always in in short supply and high demand. The same goes for the spirit of service, whether it’s a semester or throughout the seasons.
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Client Service
Households Served: 726
- Drive-Thru 525
- Pop-Up Pantry 201
- Total New Households 148
Individuals Served: 2,398
- Seniors Served 281
- Adults Served 1,295
- Children Served 822
Meals Served: 21,582
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Incoming Materials (lbs)
First Community: 2, 076
Giant Eagle: 2,492
Marc’s: 656
Penzey's Spices: 102
Mid-Ohio Foodbank total: 29,380
- Shop Thru weight 12,056
- Order weight 17,324
- Total Cost $6,836.21
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Monthly Donation Drive
by Amy Caskie
DIRECTOR OF MISSIONS
Any self-respecting elder millennial, like myself, can rap most of Eminem's song Lose Yourself. We have probably repeated the quote "food stamps don't buy diapers" countless times, likely without considering the weight of it. While "food stamps" is outdated lingo for what we now call SNAP benefits, the fact remains true that this program doesn't allow for the purchase of diapers- an essential good for all families with infants. What Eminem does not teach us, and you might be surprised to learn, is that even the Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) prohibits the use of financial assistance on these items, despite being created specifically for this demographic.
As the cost of everything, including diapers, rises, this puts additional financial strain on families already living in poverty. According to the UW Institute for Research on Poverty, "About one in three mothers in the United States struggle with diaper scarcity and nearly half of U.S. infants and toddlers live in low-income families.1" Research shows this can have detrimental effects, even leading to further loss of income and thus perpetuating the problem.
In a study conducted by Jennifer Randles, published in RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, interviews with seventy low-income mothers of diaper-age children revealed:2
- 93% had exhausted their disposable diaper supply at least once
- 69% had borrowed either diapers, or money to buy diapers, from others
- 79% reported skipping other necessities in order to buy diapers
- 50% worried more about being able to buy an adequate supply of diapers than about paying for food or housing, in part because safety net programs help with those other costs
- 33% had experienced anxiety or depression due to the stress of “living diaper to diaper.”
Local programs like Little Bottoms free store have been created to support these mothers and families with infants, but they are not enough. Heart to Heart has clients asking for diapers almost every time the food pantry is open. When we are able to provide them to these clients, they are not only overjoyed, but often surprised. They know this is an oft forgotten donation, despite the constant need.
We aim to support these families by having diapers on hand as often as possible. We find that we do receive diaper donations, they are for the smaller sizes from Newborn to size 3. While this are necessary and very appreciated, we also emphasize the need for larger diapers, sizes 4 through 6. (I had a big baby who ended up wearing these larger sizes before the standard potty-training age, around 2 years old!) In addition to diaper donations, we appreciate donations of baby wipes. We can even take infant food and formula, as long as it is received in a sealed container and not expired.
On Mother's Day, May 12, we will hold a collection for diapers and essential baby care supplies during worship services. Show your support for local mothers and families caring for infants by making a donation. Our volunteers, Becky and Susan, will be waiting outside worship spaces to take your donations at both First Community North (in the parking lot) and First Community South (outside the Crane Welcome Center). Please give generously.
Works Cited
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“Diaper Dilemma: Low-Income Families Face High Costs And Limited Supplies Of An Essential Good” University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty, October 2022 https://www.irp.wisc.edu/resource Accessed April 26, 2024
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"Fixing a Leaky U.S. Social Safety Net: Diapers, Policy, and Low-Income Families" RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, August 2022, https://www.rsfjournal.org/content/8/5/166 Accessed April 26, 2024
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Refugee Ministry Team
Monthly Update
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by Shirley Barney
REFUGEE MINISTRY TEAM LEAD
The team is helping the families by:
- Focusing on money management/budgeting to ensure their bills are paid and how to use their debit cards, SNAP card to pay for groceries, etc.
- Studying and taking the learner’s permit driver’s license test and eventually get their driver's license
- Reading and writing – writing words and saying them
- Providing transportation to and from places (grocery store, appointments, etc.)
This summer, the RMT would like to support new families arriving in Central-Ohio and are gauging interest for new volunteers. If you would like to help with the following, please contact Shirley Barney:
- Gather household items (dishes, utensils, etc.)
- Grocery stocking
- Clothing collection
- Apartment setup
- Airport welcome
- Hot welcome meal
- Apartment move in
- Transportation assistance
Help wanted:
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Donations:
- Washer & dryer
- Car donations
- Lawnmower
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Volunteers - Are you interested in supporting families or joining the RMT? Supporting resettling refugee families is extremely rewarding. Learn more at FCchurch.com/refugee.
If you are interested in volunteering or donating the items needed, please contact Shirley Barney.
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Open Monday, May 27
Memorial Day
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by Beth Hanson
TRADING POST VOLUNTEER TEAM LEAD
On Saturday, May 4, the Trading Post will be participating with the Guilds in Grandview’s Great Garage Sale. People all over Grandview will be holding garage sales at their homes, and the Guilds will be participating by holding a “mini” garage sale in the South Campus parking lot. The event starts at 9 am, so the Trading Post will be open one hour earlier than usual.
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Last year we participated in this community-wide sale, and it turned out to be our highest earning day ever! We hope to repeat this in 2024. It is a good opportunity to entice people to come into the shop who have never been there before. One of the shoppers that day exclaimed that she only lived one block over from the Trading Post and never even knew we were there! (We’ve been here since 1953.) We hope you will come over and join in the fun and let it be your kick-off to garage sale season.
If you have items you would like to donate to the Trading Post, they can be dropped off at the South Campus Annex Building during our open hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and the first Saturday of the month between 10 am – 4 pm. All money raised goes to missions, of course.
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Monday Night Meals
Friends of the Homeless
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by Amy Caskie
DIRECTOR OF MISSIONS
On March 18, Rev. Dr. Glen Miles joined the "Third Monday Team" to cook and serve dinner at Friends of the Homeless. Team lead, Pat Porterfield, reported that his help was very welcomed as they had a few team members unable to join that day. Pictures from the evening below.
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The ministry continues to seek out volunteer cooks for the second and fourth Mondays of the month. These volunteers are needed only in the kitchen for food prep and need not go to the shelter, unless they so choose. Please contact Pat Porterfield for more information. | | |
Thanks to the $10,000 received from First Community's Christmas Eve Special Mission offering, Friends of the Homeless was able to purchase three new industrial washing machines. These machines are quite expensive at $3,000 each, but are heavy duty enough to withstand constant used by the unhoused clients of the mission. | |
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In The Garden
Updates from the Share & Learn Garden
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The Share and Learn Garden at First Community North sits on the property behind the Mary Evans Child Development Center. All the produce grown in the garden comes directly to Heart to Heart. The garden is managed and harvested by a small but mighty and fun group of volunteers. Master Gardeners Cheryl and Loren VanDeusen, and their daughter, Kate Paulson, are the group's leaders. The group convenes on Tuesday mornings, weather permitting. We receive weekly updates from Kate Paulson during the growing season, including these excerpts below. | |
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April 19, 2024
The brush is gone and the new product is stacked and ready. Lots of bed work to get started next week!!🌞
Michael Cox
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April 19, 2024
Happy Friday all!
We will have our first gardening session this upcoming Tuesday, April 23rd at 9am. Plan on 2 hours as in years past, so 9am-11am.
For new members, welcome! 🙏🏻 Garden is adjacent to the Mary Evans Daycare Center playground at FCC North Campus, 3777 Dublin Road.
The plan Tuesday is garden beds clean up. Please bring a hat, gardening gloves, your favorite digging tool, and water. We have gardening tools available if you do not own tools.
A big thanks to John and Mike today - they are cleaning up the defunct compost pile. The Rickerts are lending their trailer today for the soil and compost donation. John and Mike are unloading the product this morning.
Dad and I are picking up collard green, cabbage and other seedlings at DeMoyes nursery today. Seedlings won’t go in this Tuesday - the bed clean up will take all of our time for sure!
Many Thanks!
Kate Paulson and Loren and Cheryl Van Deusen
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Easter Special Offering
by Amy Caskie
DIRECTOR OF MISSIONS
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I am happy to report that the special mission offering taken online and during worship on Easter Sunday raised $13,000. As this offering is split between two worthy missions, both Little Bottoms and Healing Art Missions will receive $6500 to support their work. | | |
All Teams Meeting Summer Venue | |
Did you miss the last issue of On a Mission!? View it, and all past issues, by clicking the link below. | |
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Did you know Heart to Heart is on social media? Click the buttons below to follow us. We also have a blog! Read the weekly blog posts at h2h.FCchurch.com/blog | |
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News from our Mission Partners | | | | |
