Through our Storehouse ministry we seek to help those
who, for many reasons, may have a shortage of food or basic household items.
During 2012 we have recieved requests on a regular basis to help people facing crisis or difficult times. Thanks to the faithful giving of Link members we have again
been able to respond to every request by providing food parcels and/or Asda vouchers. A typical food parcel contains basics
such as teabags, coffee, sugar, salt, tinned goods, pasta and rice and
pasta/rice sauces, breakfast cereal, biscuits, toiletries and household cleaning
items.
During
2012 Storehouse has supplied:
- Food parcels - 7 to contacts
of Link Church members; 6 to outside agencies (Women's Aid, Fife Gingerbread, Your
Oasis)
- Asda vouchers - £130 in total to contacts of Link members and outside
agencies
We
also collected again for Christmas Hampers and this year gave four to Women's
Aid and two to Link Church friends. Each hamper contained a selection of basic
food items and Christmas treats. With each hamper we gave a £10 Asda
voucher.
Even after all this giving we
still have 2 food parcels stored and money in the account, ready to meet
emergency needs. We are aware that the Christmas period can bring its own
difficulty and crisis to many people, and our contacts at Women's Aid know they
can call us at any time should a woman in their care need this kind of
help.
This year Dunfermline Foodbank has been set up in our town. The Foodbank provides three days of emergency food supplies to local people facing crisis. We are giving some thought at the moment as to how Storehouse will continue to function alongside the Dunfermline Foodbank. Our priority will still be to assist anyone from our own congregation who may be facing difficult times themselves, or who may know of someone that we could help. We have also had requests in the past from Women's Aid for baby supplies for mothers they are supporting, and we hope we can do more of this. We are always open to suggestions and new ideas of ways we can help people!
We can only meet needs through
Storehouse as we become aware of them. Do you know someone in need? Please speak
to Jackie or Ruth.
"Thank you to the church for giving us food from the Storehouse. What a huge help! We just couldn't believe how generous people had been."
(Comment from family who recieved a Storehouse food parcel this year.)
STARTER
PACKS
Through our contacts with
Women's Aid we also provide Starter Packs to women who are moving into their own
accommodation. In these circumstances, women can receive grants to help with the
purchase of furniture etc, but these cannot be used for the basic household
essentials which we would all struggle to do without. Each Starter Pack contains
essential items such as crockery, cutlery, saucepans, a toaster, iron and
kettle. During 2012, there has been a constant demand for Starter Packs and we
have given out at least one per month. There have been times when the lack of
these items has been the only holdup to a woman finally moving into her
accommodation and it has been necessary to put a pack together very quickly
indeed! If you would like to know more about the Starter Packs, please speak to
Jackie or Mo.
These vital ministries could
not do so much without the regular giving of the people of Link Church. Those of
us responsible for handing over the food parcels and packs hear so often that
they are going to meet desperate needs and of how people have been touched by
the kindness and love shown to them through our giving. If you have given in any
way to Storehouse or Starter Packs during this year, be encouraged to know that
your giving is making a huge difference to many lives.
"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God."
2 Corinthians 9: 12
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