The Vine - News Blog

Peace Garden Dedicated and Now Ready for Planting; Some Specific Help Requested

 
Arborlawn’s new Peace Garden was dedicated on Sunday, March 30 and is ready for planting. The Peace Garden is located immediately west of the SAM Building and will provide fresh produce for the Arborlawn Food Pantry.
 

A group is getting together this Saturday, April 5, at 9:00 a.m. to begin planting vegetable seeds in the garden. All are welcome to help with this; just bring your own trowel and work gloves. Sign ups will be available for volunteers to water the garden until an irrigation system is installed. Also, free mulch is available from the city, and Peace Garden organizers are looking for someone with a pickup to transport the mulch.
 
Richard Larson took on the building of the garden beds as his Eagle Scout project. On March 15, he and his crew built the three beds for the garden. They did an awesome job. Mike Bourne, Arborlawn member and Scout Leader, said everything went smoothly; with the right number of bricks, the right amount of dirt, the right amount of hands and backs, the right amount of time, and completing just before the rain. God truly has blessed this project
 
The seeds for the garden - the original thoughts - were planted in several hearts, and as the idea grew a committee was formed to bring the Peace Garden into reality. The Flour Power team raised the initial “seed” money to pay for the building of the beds.
 
For questions about the Peace Garden and how you can help tend it, contact Patricia Johnson.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Peace Garden Ready for Planting; Dedication March 30 After Church; Will Provide Produce for Food Pantry

 
By Patricia Johnson
 
The Arborlawn Peace Garden is ready for planting! The idea started a few weeks ago, and many hours of dedicated planning have resulted in the first beds west of the SAM Building that will provide fresh produce for the Arborlawn Food Pantry.
 
Everyone's invited to stay after the late services at church this Sunday, March 30, for the Peace Garden Dedication.
 

Richard Larson took on the building of the garden beds as his Eagle Scout project. On March 15, he and his crew built three beds for us to grow vegetables for the Food Pantry. They did an awesome job. Mike Bourne, Arborlawn member and Scout Leader, said everything went smoothly; with the right number of bricks, the right amount of dirt, the right amount of hands and backs, the right amount of time, and completing just before the rain. God truly has blessed this project.
 
The seeds for the garden - the original thoughts - were planted in several hearts, and as the idea grew a committee was formed to bring the Peace Garden into reality. The Flour Power team raised the initial “seed” money to pay for the building of the beds. Now we are ready to begin planting and tending the beds and to see the bounty being given to the friends served by our Food Pantry.
 
Everyone is welcome to help with the Peace Garden. The Sunday School children are growing herbs to plant. We will be asking for donations of specific seeds and plants to match the growing cycle. And, we will be asking for hearts and hands to care of the vegetables. We will need people to be available to help those of us who are not blessed with a green thumb. Look for more information to come in the following weeks for opportunities to serve.
 
Now, may the Lord bless this garden so that it is flowing with milk and honey for the Food Pantry. For more details about the Peace Garden, contact Patricia Johnson.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Love God, Serve the City Through the Arborlawn Food Pantry

 
As part of our Love God, Serve the City series, we're focusing on the Arborlawn Food Pantry this week. One of the most robust mission efforts in our church, the Food Pantry provides supplemental food service to people living in proximity to our church in southwest Fort Worth.
 

Arborlawn's Food Pantry is located in the SAM Building and operates Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Many volunteers give of their time to this mission, but there's always room for more help. If you're interesting in participating as a volunteer, contact Dawn Henderson or Rev. DeAndrea Dare.

 

Stop by the Food Pantry this Sunday for a tour and get a feel for this outreach effort. Your donations of food are also welcomed and encouraged. Download a Food Pantry Shopping List and bring your donations to the Food Pantry or to the church office any time.
 
This Sunday, January 26, we will have special collections areas for Food Pantry donations in the Lower Commons, in the Upper Commons outside the Worship Center, in the church office, and in the Food Pantry in the SAM Building.
 
Thank you for helping us serve our fellow residents of Fort Worth. Providing food to our neighbors is an excellent way we Love God and Serve the City!
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Community Thanksgiving Meal on November 17: thank you, volunteers!

 
Our Community Thanksgiving Meal for guests of Arborlawn's Food Pantry was quite a success on Sunday evening, November 17. Thank you, volunteers, for making this such a great evening... for everyone.
 

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ArborlawnUMC.org

Community Thanksgiving meal for Food Pantry Guests on Sunday, November 17; volunteer help appreciated

 
Arborlawn is hosting a Thanksgiving meal for our Food Pantry Guests on Sunday evening, November 17 at 5:00 p.m. in the Family Life Center.
 

We are asking for help from Arborlawn members to make this special meal a memorable occasion for our friends. We are in need of servers, greeters, table hosts, persons willing to make desserts, and monetary donations (please put Community Thanksgiving in the memo line of your check). Please call the church office (817-731-0701) by Sunday, November 3 if you are willing to serve.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Food Pantry expanding to four days each week; extra volunteers requested

 
We are pleased to announce that the Arborlawn Food Ministry is expanding to meet the needs of our community. Starting in September, the Food Pantry will be open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. We need volunteers to serve on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Please contact Dawn Henderson. Thank you in advance for your generosity of gifts and service!
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Arborlawn Food Pantry seeking volunteers and food donations

Arborlawn's Food Pantry is seeking volunteers and food donations to help in this very important mission. The Food Pantry provides emergency, limited, supplemental food to people who live in the ZIP codes nearest the church. Those served are usually referred by other agencies in the community or make appointments by calling the Food Pantry Hotline (817-529-0195). The Food Pantry is open Monday and Wednesday mornings and is staffed by Arborlawn volunteer teams.
 

All non-perishable food donations are welcomed and encouraged. We also have a shopping list of some particularly nutritious items which was developed for our Food Pantry by a registered dietician from TCU. The list is available at a link on the Food Pantry page of Arborlawn's web site.
 
If you would like to volunteer in or donate to the Food Pantry, contact DeAndrea Dare (817-731-0701).
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Arborlawn Food Pantry seeking volunteers and food donations

 
Arborlawn's Food Pantry is seeking volunteers and food donations to help in this very important mission.
 
The Food Pantry provides emergency, limited, supplemental food to people who live in the ZIP codes nearest the church. Those served are usually referred by other agencies in the community or make appointments by calling the Food Pantry Hotline (817-529-0195). The Food Pantry is open Monday and Wednesday mornings and is staffed by Arborlawn volunteer teams.
 

All non-perishable food donations are welcomed and encouraged. We also have a shopping list of some particularly nutritious items which was developed for our Food Pantry by a registered dietician from TCU. The list is available at a link on the Food Pantry page of our web site.
 
If you would like to volunteer in or donate to the Food Pantry, contact Rev. DeAndrea Dare (817-731-0701).
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Food Pantry seeking donations of large paper bags

Arborlawn's Food Pantry is running low on large paper grocery bags and is asking for donations. In the past, many supermarkets were willing to give bags like this to food pantries. But most of them charge for the bags now. If you are interested in helping, please contact Bill and Jenny Rogers or simply bring some bags by the church office. Again... large paper bags only, please.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

How Arborlawn is helping feed hungry people

By Judy Williamson
 
There is Good News at Arborlawn. Arborlawn members are helping feed hungry people. Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” There is also disturbing news. The number of people who need food assistance seems to be growing dramatically. The opportunities for helping our near neighbors abound. You can be part of what happens now and what happens next.
 
THANK YOU FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW
 
The people of Arborlawn provided 191 generous Thanksgiving Bags and turkeys to the people in the North Side, Polytechnic, Hospital District, and Far West neighborhoods of Fort Worth through the three United Community Centers (Wesley, Poly, and Bethlehem) and WestAid (Cherry Lane at Camp Bowie West).
 
An Adult Mission team just returned from UMCOR's (United Methodist Committee on Relief) Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin, Louisiana. The team worked in tasks related to restocking emergency supplies such as food, water, medical kits, and cleaning supplies to be used in major disasters throughout the world before the disasters occur. United Methodists are always ready to help in disaster relief.
 
Many Sunday School classes choose to provide monthly breakfast bags for all the people at the Presbyterian Night Shelter and personally serve monthly meals at the Samaritan House.
 
The Advent and Lenten Concerts provide a high quality music experience and a love offering lunch to our members and to our guests.
 
The Snack Sacks Ministry provides weekend snacks to children who receive federally funded food supplements on weekdays in the public schools. Snack Sacks also provides training to other groups who want to start a Snack Sacks Ministry in their neighborhoods. Nash Elementary School has been added recently.
 
The Food Pantry at Arborlawn provides supplementary canned food assistance to people in five ZIP codes near the church who are referred by agencies such as 211, the near neighborhood schools, and various job training and re-training groups. Each guest of the Food Pantry comes on Monday or Wednesday mornings between 9 a.m. and Noon or on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Church volunteers and TCU nutrition students staff the Food Pantry, which served 239 people in October. On the first two Food Pantry days in November, 27 were served. The number of people seeking food assistance at the Food Pantry is larger than projected and expected. Classes that have restocked the pantry in October and November include New Hope, Faith Bible, Bible Study, and Sojourners. TCU nutrition students and wonderful, caring individuals have also helped. Shopping lists for the Food Pantry and Snack Sacks Ministry are always available.
 
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?
 
Individual Arborlawn members are requesting information about serving food on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days at mission locations in Fort Worth. There are a very few opportunities on the wait list for Thanksgiving Day at the Presbyterian Night Shelter (817-632-7400. Christmas Day volunteer opportunities at the Salvation Army, Presbyterian Night Shelter, and Union Gospel Mission (817-332-2922) are filling quickly. These groups offer training sessions for volunteers before the holidays. Contact these locations directly. Arborlawn Students will sponsor two weeks of food at the Food Pantry in December. Monthly sponsors for most of the food ministries at Arborlawn are appreciated for 2012. Volunteer time is a great treasure all people can share.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org