by Alison Pierce

Thanks to your generosity, the Missions Committee continues to support organizations in need even during the summer vacation months! In July, we voted to donate $500 to World Central Kitchen. You may remember the tragic loss of seven of their members who were killed in an attack in Gaza in April while trying to deliver desperately needed supplies and food. Knowing that the humanitarian issues in Gaza remain dire and fulfilling their mission of showing up to provide food to people during the toughest of times, World Central Kitchen has restarted their operation to get as much food into the region as possible.

Although our support of the Men’s Shelter in Woonsocket is on hiatus during their seasonal shutdown, we still wanted to find a way to help those who are unhoused. To address this need, Missions donated $500 to House of Hope Community Development Corporation to support their “Shower to Empower” program. Shower to Empower is a one-of-a-kind mobile service offering basic needs such as complimentary showers and haircuts, along with on-site case management and medical services. The trailer includes two individual showers, heated floors, an area for case management, and an enclosed private medical space.The service comes to the Thundermist Health Center in Woonsocket on Wednesdays from 9 AM to 12 PM.

To continue our Blessing Bag ministry, a tentative date for assembling the bags has been proposed for Sunday, October 20th during Coffee Hour. Stay tuned for a listing of items needed for donation in the next On-the-Common newsletter and thanks in advance for your continued support of this ministry.