Hunger Ministries
Crozet Baptist Church, assisted again this year by the Crozet Catholic Community and Tabor Presbyterian Church, works through the late summer and fall to gather ingredients to feed hundreds of families, a number that grows every year. In 2019, the church delivered more than a few carloads of groceries––558 bags in all––to 370 families. Many large families require more than one bag’s worth of food, so this enormous effort fed about 1773 people. As in the past, they’ll identify families with the help of western Albemarle school counselors at Western, Henley, Brownsville and Crozet.
Anyone in the community can “share the blessing” (that’s the name of the annual food drive) by stopping by the table set up at the Crozet Market November 7 and making a monetary donation or dropping off something on the church’s list of Thanksgiving ingredients. Or pick up a couple of the items when you do your shopping and leave them with church volunteers.
Crozet UMC’s Grace Grocery continues to provide curbside service as well as delivery to homebound clients. Between both of those services, the church distributes more than a ton of food a month.
The Church welcomes all in need of food to come to the monthly curbside distributions on November 9 and 23. Thanksgiving turkey distribution, supported once again by a generous check from the Crozet Farmers Market, will be Monday, Nov. 23, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Turkeys will also be in the homebound deliveries for Thanksgiving on Tuesday, November 10.
Crozet Quilters for Charity
The beautiful quilt auctioned every other year by Tabor Presbyterian Church for its mission work shows the loving work of many hands. The Crozet Quilters added a new tradition last year when they made more than 100 pillowcases for children staying at SHE (Shelter for Help in Emergency). Children sheltered there receive a colorful pillowcase for their use, then use it to carry their belongings when it’s safe to leave. The quilters repeated their efforts this year, creating dozens of one-of-a-kind usable works of art sure to cheer as well as comfort families in stress.
The quilters also make a quilt each year for hospice, and for a lucky veteran, with quilters making individual blocks that are added together for a warm and vibrant token of appreciation. With the Charlottesville Area Quilt Guild, they make quilts for Bright Star, giving each child in the Bright Star early childhood education program a book and a quilt for naps at the beginning of the school year.
Small Blessings
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church celebrated the feast of St. Francis Oct. 4 with a “Park and Bark” blessing of the animals after the Sunday evening prayer service.
The beloved saint, who came from the Italian city of Assisi, was remembered after his death in 1226 for his rejection of wealth, his humility, and his love for animals.
Piedmont Baptist Church turns 150 this year, and the pandemic has caused the celebration of this important milestone to be postponed until October, 2021. Other regular services and scheduled programs are also postponed for the remainder of 2020.
The Green Olive Tree, Crozet’s beloved thrift store, needs a spacious new home to accommodate the mountains of clothing and useful household goods donated and reused by the community. “We could probably use a building three times this size,” said Iris Taylor, a board member. The store, which substantially supports a number of important local charities, has limited its hours to four days weekly, and quarantines every item donated for 72 hours to make sure there’s no chance for the COVID 19 virus to spread. In past years, the store has donated between $70,000 to $80,000 to the community, although Taylor said the amount would be lower this year because of restrictions.
“It won’t be easy to find a new space,” Taylor said. “We need to be accessible and have plenty of storage space and parking.” The board welcomes any ideas or offers: 434-823-4523.
