Our Church in Community
Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Outreach Ministry Team is one of several ways our church takes action “to love our neighbor as ourselves.” Through educational programs, social action initiatives and community events sponsored by Outreach, the Church promotes awareness and provides support of a wide range of missions and social responsibility concerns, as well as interfaith outreach activites. Check our church bulletins and newsletters for current pursuits.

We also share income specifically pledged to Mission Outreach with a variety of charitable agencies in Canton, New England and worldwide. (Details noted below.) We support participation in volunteer opportunities through these organizations as well, to provide personal connection, advocacy and caring for those served by their endeavors.

Since the coronavirus pandemic prevented us from doing group events, we focused our outreach efforts this year on financial or wish-list donations to Massachusetts organizations who, in addition to their normal charitable work, also provided COVID-19 hardship support for those struggling to make ends meet due to the economic downturn. Special focus was placed on neighboring food pantries who saw an overwhelming number of families lining up outside their doors!

Below are brief descriptions of some of the benevolences we sponsor, as well as contact information, should you be interested in further exploring or responding to a particular need.

  1. Senior Supper: Our beloved Senior Supper ministry had to be canceled this year due to the pandemic. As it is still expected that we will continue to social distance well into 2021, Rachel will continue to check with the Senior Center in the event we may eventually be allowed to supply prepackaged meals as a temporary solution during the pandemic.
  1. Canton Food Pantry: We made either monetary (during lockdown) and/or monthly non-perishable food donations to the pantry this year. We are very grateful to our consistent food donors who fill up the collection bins, and a special shout out to Harriet and Regina who canvassed their complex to bring in extra bags of food every week! [https://www.town.canton.ma.us/194/Canton-Helpline]
  1. Destiny Rescue: An internationally recognized, Christian non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing children trapped in exploitation and the sex trade. We have been sending them monthly funds to support at least one child until that child can learn a trade and is eventually able to survive on their own. [https://www.destinyrescue.org/us/]
  1. Cradles to Crayons (in partnership with Project351): Just before we started self-isolating, our congregation was preparing to clean out closets to donate gently used or new children’s clothing for this charity to support underprivileged children. Instead, we donated to their Emergency Essentials Fund to provide new diapers, school and art supplies, hygiene items and other essentials to the children who needed them to survive this crisis. [https://www.cradlestocrayons.org/emergency-essentials-fund/]
  1. Bags of Hope Ministries: Serves women in Massachusetts affected by trafficking, prostitution, addiction and homelessness, by donating Bags filled with toiletries and other basic items that we take for granted every day. In lieu of collecting the toiletries needed to fill these Purple Bags of Hope, we provided a monetary donation to support their work. The founder of this ministry, herself a former victim of sex trafficking, also teaches organizations in the US how to identify victims of sex trafficking. [https://jasminegrace.org/bags-of-hope/]
  1. Prison Book Program: Mails books to people in prison to support their educational, vocational and personal development and to help them avoid returning to prison after their release. Instead of volunteering to ‘shop’ for prisoners at their book store in Quincy, we instead virtually purchased books from their Amazon wish list that are often requested but rarely donated. [https://prisonbookprogram.org/donate-books/]
  1. School on Wheels: Provides children and youths facing homelessness with the support they need to stay focused on school during times of disruption and uncertainty as they navigated the unprecedented impact and unique obstacles their students faced amidst COVID-19.  We purchased 30 items from their Amazon Wish-list for delivery to the East Bridgewater facility. [https://sowma.org]
  1. Homeless Veterans: The veterans requested activity books to keep them occupied during confinement. We purchased assorted brain games books, puzzles, nuts and crackers to fill 24 nylon bags, as well as 6 learn-to-knit kits, all of which we delivered to the VA hospital in Jamaica Plain.
  1. Canton Area Helpline: Provides emergency funding for utilities, transportation and housing assistance, and food and household items to the needy in the Canton community. The funds are distributed to the areas most needed, including the Food Pantry. [www.town.canton.ma.us/194/Canton-Area-Helpline]
  1. My Brother’s Keepers: In response to the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, My Brother’s Keeper is focusing all their efforts on their Food Assistance Program. On a weekly basis, they are serving 350+ households with food—3½ times their normal output despite limited volunteers. [www.mybrotherskeeper.org]
  1. Father Bill’s and Mainspring: Helps people who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, to achieve self-sufficiency. As an alternative to their annual FoodFest fundraiser this year, they launched the Campaign for Hope to support our neighbors struggling with homelessness during this critical time by keeping their shelter doors open and their facilities safe during this crisis. [www.helpfbms.org]
  1. Pine Street Inn: Provides housing, emergency services, and workforce development for homeless men and women. They established a Covid-19 Emergency Services Fund in order to continue to provide for those who turn to them in their shelters, on the streets, and in housing. [www.pinestreetinn.org]
  1. Rosie’s Place: Provides a sanctuary for poor and homeless women. Their doors remain open as they continue to serve the women who turn to them when there is nowhere else to go. [www.rosiesplace.org]
  1. Bridge Over Troubled Waters: In the midst of COVID-19, this organization’s goal is to remain a safe, accessible, and supportive place for homeless, at-risk, and runaway youth from across Boston. [www.bridgeotw.org]
  1. Home for Little Wanderers: They established a Covid-19 relief fund to continue to provide the essential programs and services to vulnerable children and families during these challenging times. [www.thehome.org]
  1. Building impact: Their mission is to strengthen communities by empowering organizations with the opportunity to volunteer and donate to high impact local non-profits working on critical social issues. In Massachusetts, 1 in 4 kindergarten children (about 19,000 students) show evidence of oral decay. Many families experiencing homelessness struggle to even purchase the basic essentials for good oral hygiene of toothpaste, toothbrush and dental floss. We signed up to assemble 20 Virtual Dental Kits which included these basic supplies and additional resources to help families served by Housing Families maintain good oral hygiene and hopefully avoid costly trips to the dentist. A special thanks to our church families who helped their kids assemble the kits online, and also personalized it by adding a note of encouragement for the recipient of each kit. [https://housingfamilies.org/] [https://www.buildingimpact.org/]
  1. Christmas Gifts: Our generous members contributed ~ $1600 to split between our 3 Christmas Events!
    1. Angel Tree: We participated in a ‘Virtual’ Angel Tree Program this year, donating money for Walmart gift cards for 10 children of incarcerated parents. [www.prisonfellowship.org/angel-tree]
    2. Secret Santa: This program was also virtual this year with contributions for gift cards rather than our traditional buying and wrapping of presents for economically affected Canton Families. We had a big increase in the number of hurting Canton families this year!
    3. My Brother’s Keeper: This year we were unable to visit the Easton facility to ‘shop’ and wrap gifts for homeless families, but instead provided a monetary contribution. We were also able to hand-deliver (thanks Pam) $250 worth of Wegmans gift cards due to Mindy Milman’s awesome arrangement with Wegmans. [https:// mybrothers keeper.org]
  1. Regional Food Pantries: We made donations to regional Food Pantries who saw an unprecedented number of people walk through their doors.
    1. Ecumenical Community Food Pantry of Norwood
    2. Ilse Marks Food Pantry [The First United Methodist Church of Stoughton]
    3. Pilgrim Trinitarian Congregational Church of Dorchester
    4. Friendly Food Pantry of Randolph
    5. Walpole Community Food Pantry
    6. Holbrook Ecumenical Food Pantry (St, John’s Church)
    7. Dedham Food Pantry
    8. Meals on Wheels, Sharon
    9. Greater Boston Food Bank

Other Donations:

  1. In support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, we donated to the National Urban League (NUL). This organization that has been an authority on civil rights issues for more than a century, dedicated to economic empowerment, equality and social justice. They are collaborating at the national and local levels with community leaders, policymakers and corporate partners to elevate standards of living for African-American and other historically under-served groups. [https://www.nul.org]
  2. Hurricane Relief: With the devastation caused by Hurricane Laura this season, we contributed to organizations that help families that have lost everything they own. This situation was even more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic as fewer people can be housed to maintain social distancing at temporary shelters.
    1.  Samaritan’s Purse: A nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. As our teams work in crisis areas of the world, people often ask, “Why did you come?” The answer is always the same: “We have come to help you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  https://samaritanspurse.org
    2. American Red Cross: Provides food, shelter, comfort and care for families affected by major disasters such as fire, hurricanes and tornadoes. https://www.redcross.org
  3. Scarves: Regina knitted 60 lovely scarves of various sizes, shapes and colors which we donated to Circle of Hope in Needham (serves the homeless) and to the Canton Food Pantry. Both organizations were happy to get them and had immediate plans to distribute them to their clients. [https://www.circleofhopeonline.org/]
  4. NACCC Missions: The last donation of the year was made to the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches who will distribute the funds to such missions that will stimulate the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by such means as are in keeping with the basic principle of the Congregational Christian Churches. [https://www.naccc.org/missions]

Outreach Team Members: Pam Loughran, Rachel Rigoli, Anne Goetze,