Outreach

Outreach

The Committee is composed of the following members: Paula Welling, Chair, Laurel Destry, Vestry liaison and clerk, Pat Robinson, Vestry liaison, Natalie Bayless, Vicky Gribble, and Peter Welling.
 
The Outreach Committee is funded by our parish budget to fulfill our charge, “To enable our hands to be God’s hands in caring, comforting, and advocating for God’s people beyond our doors.” In recent years we have assisted in several programs:

• Meals on Wheels
• Pathways Meals reimbursements
• Backpack for Central High Students who take home Manna food.
• Shoes for the homeless students at Tuscola and Waynesville Middle
• Supplies for the Summer Program at the Pigeon Center​
• Open Door Emergency Housing Coalition for Homeless Women and Children
• 30th Judicial Alliance Hispanic Program
• Mountain Projects New building refurbishing
• Senior Center Christmas boxes
• Providing hot lunches for the Alternative School on the second Tuesday of every month
• Cooking and serving ​meals at Haywood Pathways on the second Sunday of each month and fifth Mondays.

 

Our source of funding beyond the budget is The Annual Parish Fair which raised $17,175.00 in 2019. Local non-profits were invited to submit grants and the following groups received funding based on those grant proposals:

• Big Brothers/Big Sisters
• Clothes to Kids
• Community Kitchen 
• Fines Creek Community Association
• Good Samaritan Clinic 
• Haywood Christian Ministries
• Haywood Pathways Center
• KARE 
• Mountain Mediation Center
• Mountain Projects - Self Sufficiency Fund
• Mountain Projects - Senior Resource Center

Parish-Wide Appeals

Grace parishioners have a heart for mission, and often this takes the form of wanting to have a Parish-Wide Appeal to help fulfill a need beyond our doors. The 2019 Outreach Committee developed an application process for Parish-Wide Appeals to prevent "extra giving burnout" and to help with scheduling. 
In 2019, we had the following Parish-Wide Appeals:

• May – Pigeon Community Multicultural Center - a drive for items needed for the summer children’s program
• August – collected school items for homeless school children and the Alternative School children
• October – “Undie Sunday” collected new underwear for the Clothes to Kids Organization
• Spring & Fall – conducted the United Thank Offering gathering monies used for mission nationally and internationally
• December – 

1. “Angel Tree” that provided Christmas presents for children and youth in need
2. “Warming Tree” that collected warm clothing items to be distributed by Mountain Projects to those in need

Application for Parish-Wide Appeal

The Outreach Committee has developed an application process for Parish-Wide Appeals.  This is to prevent "extra giving burnout" and to help with scheduling.  In order to consider as many Appeals as possible, please submit applications by April 1.  You may download this application or pick one up in the church office.  If you have questions, please contact Paula Welling by email.

Local coverage of Grace’s outreach can be seen in these Mountaineer articles:

• Consider this: Belonging is an inside job by Joslyn Schaefer
• Grace Episcopal is ‘all-in’ when it comes to service by Vicki Hyatt