“Be the Light and Hope for God’s People” - Adopt a Family/ Food Drive
December 2022 saw Grace Church and the Early Childhood Center continue to be the Light and Hope for God’s People
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“Be the Light and Hope for God’s People”
December 2022 saw Grace Church and the Early Childhood Center continue to be the Light and Hope for God’s People.
Despite inflation and ever rising prices, three families - two through the Diocese and one through YES Community Counseling were blessed with Adopt A Family gifts ranging from need to wishes by our Parish Families. Our generosity provided winter coats, boots, warm clothing and pajamas, toys, dishes, an InstaPot and a Microwave to families struggling to make ends meet. We also provided 22 T.O.B. Seniors with Stop & Shop Gift Cards and a homemade item from the Craft Group. The wrapping party on December 4 kicked off the holiday season with refreshments, Christmas music, our Holiday Boutique and of course a mountain of wrapping! It was a joy to see so many children helping to wrap. Lori Caracappa and I would like to thank all those that took tags from the Advent Tree and shopped for gifts, wrapped, provided breakfast items and delivered the bags of presents to YES and the Diocesan
St. John’s Foundation. And to top it off the Holiday Boutique generated almost $1,200 for our church in a few hours at the wrapping party and Tree Lighting festivities later in the day.
Our Reverse Advent Calendar Food Drive started November 27 and culminated on December 23 - yes, on a day with pouring rain, flooding, high winds and dropping temperatures. But there was a festive air on the campus with children and relatives all coming back and forth for Christmas presentations and our parish and day school families coming all morning long and making a point of dropping off their donations. Our storage unit is filled with pounds of food and toiletries for people with food insecurities to be picked up by Island Harvest after New Years. What a way to be the Light and Hope for God’s People!! Richie and I would like to thank our church and school families, relatives and neighbors for the tremendous outpouring of love. We also would like to thank Pat Smith and Ken Cynar for their assistance in unloading trunks and carrying donations with us.
Debi & Richie Csajko
May 2023 bring each and everyone a year of good health and joy!