Backpack Pals – Stories Creek Elementary
Backpack Pals of Person County works to help in the battle against childhood hunger and poverty, by providing weekend meals for elementary school students who are at risk of not having enough food on the days they don’t have access to school meals. The students are selected by the schools and the foods are sent home in backpacks which are returned the following Monday.
Several members of Long Memorial serve as volunteers shopping, packing, picking up and/or delivering backpacks for Stories Creek Elementary School. Some volunteer weekly while others volunteer once or twice a month. Sunday School classes as well as other church groups contribute funding to the program. For more information, contact Cheryl Allen at 336-322-0259 or cwallennc@gmail.com or visit http://www.christianhelpcenter.net/backpack-pals-of-person-county or Facebook – Backpack Pals of Person County.
Reading Buddies
Today more than ever the children in our midst need our help! By partnering with local schools, we can have a lasting impact on the lives of the children and youth in our community. South Elementary School and North Elementary School are resuming their Reading Buddies programs this year, after a pause during the COVID pandemic. Participation is easy and only requires:
45 minutes per week- PCS Volunteer security screening and background check
- a brief orientation session
For more information or to join the team, contact:
at South Elementary – Jessica Moss 336-599-7133
at North Elementary – Bridget Burton burtonb@person.k12.nc.us
Handmade’ns Prayer Shawl Ministry
The Handmade’ns Prayer Shawl Ministry was begun at Long Memorial in 2014 as a physical extension of God’s love. Caring hearts and the joy of knitting and crocheting are combined into a prayerful ministry that reaches out to those in need of comfort and solace. Many blessings are stitched into every shawl. The knitter begins each shawl with prayers for the recipient and continues praying throughout the creation of the shawl. When the shawl is completed, a final prayer of blessing is offered by the congregation before the shawl is sent on its way. Our group includes and welcomes all members of the community as we provide love, support, and healing to shut-ins and others in need. For more information, visit www.shawlministry.com or contact the Church Secretary at 336-599-1193 or longmemorial@esinc.net .
Christian Help Center
Long Memorial supports the ecumenical ministry of the Christian Help Center of Person County in a variety of ways. We contribute financially and we collect food on a regular basis for the CHC Food Pantry. Each month one of the Long Memorial United Methodist Women’s Circles or the Long Memorial United Methodist Men provide a home-cooked meal and serve it in the CHC Soup Kitchen to approximately three dozen clients.
The Christian Help Center of Person County provides the following services:
Christian Help Center
of Person County
- Soup Kitchen for weekday lunches
- Clothes Closet
- Food Pantry
- Financial Aid for rent, utilities, and medical co-pays
- Self-Sufficiency Training and Mentoring
- Fire Victim Aid
- Transient & Homeless Aid
For more information about CHC, visit http://www.christianhelpcenter.net.
Sweet Potato Gleaning
Delivering Sweet Potatoes to CHC
Gleaning Sweet Potatoes
Since the Society of St. Andrew was created in 1979, more than 169 million pounds of fresh produce have reached people in need in North Carolina and South Carolina. Through the North Carolina Gleaning Network, the Society of St. Andrew coordinates volunteers across the state who enter fields after farmers have finished harvesting and simply pick up the tons of good produce left behind, salvaging over five million pounds of fresh produce for the hungry each year. Long Memorial youth and other members of the congregation participate in the North Carolina Gleaning Network. Visit http://endhunger.org/north-carolina/.
Life Choices
Members of Long Memorial participate in the Annual Baby Bottle Blessings Drive, collecting change in baby bottle “blessing banks” for Life Choices of Roxboro (formerly the Pregnancy Support Center of Person County). This local ministry offers free pregnancy tests, counseling, pregnancy education, parenting classes, adoption referrals, and material aid to women experiencing crisis pregnancies. In 2016 Life Choices expanded its support program to include the dads. They also provide counseling and support for women and men experiencing post-abortion grief and guilt. For more information, call Life Choices at 336-597-2811.
