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May 19 - Food Pantry Need

Canned Meat (chicken, tuna, etc.)

The Food Pantry at North Presbyterian Church reported that your contributions are making a HUGE difference to people in need in Elmira.  The food we donate supplements the purchases that the Food Pantry makes from the Food Bank of the Southern Tier.  Some items, such as ramen noodles and toilet paper, are not available from the Food Bank, but they are needed and greatly appreciated.  Food stamp recipients are restricted in what they may purchase with their food stamps, so your donations of travel size soaps, shampoos, conditioners and lotions given out at hotels are welcomed enthusiastically.  Next time you travel, use the items supplied by the hotel on the first day and collect the rest to donate to the food bank.  It costs you nothing and helps someone who could use a hand up.  If you are Spring cleaning, the Food Pantry also accepts gently used seasonal clothing in all sizes.  So, keep those donations coming and remember, generosity is good for your heart!     

The Fair Trade kiosk has been completely restocked with many new items, including Café Salvador Coffee, Congo Coffee Project Coffee, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Organic Chocolate Espresso Bean Chocolate Bars, as well as some familiar favorites such as Ethiopian Ground and Whole Bean Coffees, Organic French Roast Coffee, English Breakfast Tea and Organic Green Tea. Stop by and sniff our coffees and we doubt you will walk away without making a purchase! All proceeds benefit the programs and projects of the youth of our church, as well as the farmers who grow the products. That’s what we call win/win/win!

Here’s a way you can support the church without taking any extra dollars out of your pocket: Tops and Weis grocery gifts cards. All you do is to purchase the gift card for the full face value of the card.  You spend the full face value of the card, but the church receives 5% of the value of your Tops and Weis card for having sold it to you.  Cards are available in your choice of “denominations:” $250, $100, $50 or $25.   Look for them at the table in the lobby area after worship each Sunday, or stop in the church office any day during the week.   We regret to inform you that we have stopped selling Wegman’s grocery cards.  Wegman’s no longer will support community organizations in exchange for selling their cards.

Scripcardorderform_5-12.pdf

First Pres is doing a Scrap Metal Drive to raise money to replace the dishwasher in our kitchen.  We are taking the metal to Shulman’s on Washington Ave. Shulman’s takes any kind of metal. Please think about recycling through the church anything that contains metal. For example, old appliances such as washers, dryers, range/ovens can be recycled at Shulman’s. (Please, no refrigerators unless the refrigeration unit is removed.) Are you replacing the aluminum siding on your house? The old aluminum siding can be turned in for cash. How about the old motors with copper in them that you have lying around? They can be recycled.  Even food cans can be recycled, but please, if recycling tin cans (food cans), they must be cleaned out and labels removed.

We have a bin in the kitchen to collect your cans and smaller metal items, if you want to bring them in to church on a Sunday. There’s just one simple thing that we ask your help on: if you have large items such as appliances or old wood stoves, Norm Schamel will pick them up from your home, but they need to be on the first level of your home. So for example, if you are replacing a washer or dryer in your basement, ask the appliance installers to bring the old one to the first level or put it in your garage or leave it on outside the house. That will help a lot! Thank you!  If you have any questions, please contact the church office at (607) 734-1614.

The youth of our church will once again be participating in World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine to fight hunger across the globe, and is readying our flamingo flock for another successful fundraising year.  Last year our youth raised $1,094 for World Vision in a playful fundraiser that provided entertainment for the community at large. We think we can do even better this year and have set a goal of $1,200, which would feed 40 children for one month.  We are challenging you to think of someone who would enjoy the surprise of waking up to find a dozen, two dozen, three dozen or more pink flamingos in their front yard.  We will swoop in under cover of darkness and place the flamingos per your instructions in exchange for your tax deductible contribution.  Then, after the flamingos have spent a day making people smile, we will collect them and take them on their next mission.  Let the games begin!  The “Flocking Forms” are located as an attachment below, or you can have one sent to you by calling the church office at 734-1614.

Flock-a-Friend.doc