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The Outreach Mission:
To enable Advent's congregation to minister in Christ's name to those in need and to work for justice, freedom, and peace.
To achieve this mission, the Outreach Commission strives to provide Advent parishioners with opportunities to donate their time, talents and treasure to worthy causes in the name of Education, Community Service and support for those in Crisis. The majority of monies and activities of Advent's Outreach have benefited organizations in Chester County and the Kennett community in particular. The parish also addresses needs outside the local community through support for diocesan programs and missions.
Funding Sources:
The primary funding for Outreach is provided through the donations made in the special Easter and Christmas offerings. Historically, this has provided approximately $20,000 annually.
Food Collection
There are Red Tubs in the foyer area (near the ramped entryway to the church) and we are asking you to bring a useful food item anytime you or your family come to church. Useful food item examples: canned or bottled juice, peanut butter, tuna, canned pasta products with meat in them, cooking oil, etc. We also collect paper goods, diapers, etc. Please no foods that are not canned or jarred as these attract mice.
Each month Church Secretary, Ann Daemer, will place food lists for the month ahead for the specific charity receiving the food in the narthex. Please pick one up and use it as a reminder. We have, in the past, provided food to the Kennett Area Food Pantry (On Broad Street, near Kennett High School), to Mission Santa Maria (on Rt. 41 just east of Avondale) and to Doris Haley's church's food pantry.
From time to time we will also have a more targeted food collection, asking for everyone to bring copious additional quantities of cooking oil, tuna, etc. In this manner, we can help the area food pantries keep the most important items stocked up.
After the Bell
As you may know, Kennett Middle School has a wonderful program, After the Bell, which is run by a fabulous group of volunteers. They give their time and energies, usually for an hour a week for six weeks. Some of them repeat this generosity and excitement three times a year during any of our three cycles: fall, winter or spring. Advent has been extremely generous. Not only does the Outreach Committee assist the program financially, there is also the use of the church bus, without which many of our activities would not be possible.
Good Neighbors
Good Neighbors is a homegrown housing rehab ministry to which Church of the Advent (through the Outreach Commission) contributes both funds and labor. The work projects are located in Kennett Square and surrounding communities. As volunteer labor, our work groups have emptied wet basements of years of debris, prepared basement walls for waterproofing, dug drainage trenches, planted flowers and shrubs, painted indoors, stripped old wallpaper, spackled, prepared attics for insulation, laid a walkway of pavers and gravel where there had been mud etc. The recipients are poor, have physical disabilities or are elderly, and sometimes are all three. Good Neighbors provides most of the tools for us we just show up as a crew with work gloves.
Chester County Futures
An organization we financially support through Advent Outreach is Chester County Futures. It is a mentoring, academic and scholarship program starting in high school for motivated, low income students who wish to pursue a post secondary education in college after graduation (7% go to accredited trade and technical schools). Advent parishioners can help this program, further, by volunteering to be a mentor (the heart of the Futures program), tutoring (as specific needs are identified), or volunteering for various activities.
Tick Tock Early Learning Center
Tick Tock, a United Way Agency located between Avondale and Kennett, is an Early Learning Center with a two-fold mission. 1. to help low income, working families receive quality educational day care at rates they can afford, and 2. to prepare preschoolers to succeed in kindergarten.
The Outreach Commission and Advent members have been involved, for years, in supporting and volunteering for this worthwhile organization. Volunteers can participate in the annual golf tournament, the mystery dinner, the hoagie sale, the summer carnival, donating gifts, time and talent to the center as just a few examples. You can make a tremendous difference in the lives of local children by getting involved. Call Suzanne Pusey or Colleen Kropinski, the executive director (610-268-8134) for more information.
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