2016-VBS.jpg

News - News, July

West Chester Senior Center Needs Our Help!

We are collecting monthly donations of bagged fruit such as apples, oranges or clementines, cheese and cracker packs, cheese sticks and individual applesauce/fruit. The first drop off date is August 5 between 9:15-9:30 at Westminster. Click here to sign up. Questions? Contact Terri Pennington.

Volunteer Nurses Needed!

If you are nurse with a current PA license and have worked in the medical field within the last 5 years and would like to volunteer 8-12 hours a month at Community Volunteers in Medicine, please contact Judy AtticksCVIM is a free clinic and serves the uninsured in Chester County and the surrounding region for those who do not have medical and dental insurance.

Good Neighbors Volunteer Opportunity

Good Neighbors is offering full-day opportunities (9am-3pm) for families and individuals to learn new skills and involve your whole family in giving generously and helping others during these challenging times. The Family Day program will be available through the end of August on Thursdays and Saturdays. The program is open to family members 13 years old and up. The work crews at any site will be limited to six to nine people and social distancing practices will be encouraged. Register here if you are interested.

Spotlight on a WPC Nonprofit Partner: Act in Faith

Before, during, and after COVID-19,  Act In Faith’s mission is to build a community that empowers the under-employed to stabilize their households and build toward self-sustainability. In mid-March, we had to relocate, reinvent and significantly expand our operations to meet the increased needs and number of people counting on us. At the same time, our day-to-day volunteer core shrank by 75% as most volunteers had to stay home. Over these last three months, our Community Cupboard has been feeding double the number of households…many of them new to us. Close to 70% of the requests we’ve received for financial assistance have been by households who have experienced COVID-19 life disruptions. It now takes 3-5 volunteers to do what 2-3 once did. We would not have been able to last these months without the overwhelming generosity of so many monetary and in-kind donors, and new volunteers…for this we are extremely grateful. But…it’s not over yet. Many are not yet back to their pre-pandemic employment status, and with the stay on evictions and utility shut-offs ending soon, the already increased need for our services will continue if not grow. Westminster has been on this journey with us for the last 10 years and we are forever grateful for your continued dedication to supporting our mission on, what stands to be, a long road ahead. Click here to support Act in Faith.

Family Resources to Help Your Family at Home

Family Resources to Help Your Family at Home:

Loss & Grief Support Group Begins in August

We are living through an unprecedented pandemic, and it feels much of our world has changed. Many of us are experiencing the loss of normalcy, deaths of people we love, loss of safety, economic uncertainty, and extreme isolation. We are grieving many losses in our lives. If you would like to receive support, resources, and tools for processing our experiences of grief, please join this support and bereavement group on Monday evenings at 7:00pm via Zoom. This series of classes will meet Monday, August 17th - September 28th. Click here to register. Questions? Contact Pastor Ann.

Cooking with Terry: Chocolate Chip Scones!

Café 10 West chef, Terry Hawkins teaches us how to make chocolate chip scones, one of the favorites at Café 10 West.Click here to watch the video or click here for the recipe.

Spotlight on a WPC Nonprofit Partner: DVCCC

The Domestic Violence Center of Chester County’s staff has continued to work tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As an essential service, protecting and housing victims and survivors of domestic violence, we knew that this period of uncertainty would impact the work we do. With many victims isolated at home with their abusers, and unemployment rates skyrocketing, we saw many at increased risk for violence. At DVCCC, our hotline calls increased by 15% after the shutdown order was put in place and continued at that elevated level. We worked quickly to assure our services could continue to be provided – developing emergency procedures and protocols, increasing and improving sanitization efforts, moving families in shelter to hotels temporarily to assure social distancing, donning masks and putting up shields in offices, and leaning into technology as a way to increase outreach and services to those who could not come in person. As our community begins to phase into a safer stage of this virus, we want to remind you that we are still here and have made every necessary update to assure the health and safety of our staff, residents, and survivors. We thank Chester County for their outpouring of generosity during this time of increased need. Donations are welcomed and can be made online.

Spotlight on a WPC Small Business: Pete's Produce Farm

Westminster member Pete Flynn is Pete from Pete's Produce Farm located at 1225 East Street Rd, West Chester, PA 19382 and are open seven days a week. 9am-5pm Sunday-Thursday and 9am-6pm Friday & Saturday. They are currently harvesting blueberries, beets, lettuce, onions, garlic, peas, summer squash and more. Due to the pandemic they have more than doubled their growing efforts for the Chester County Food Bank. Questions? Contact Pete Flynn.

Children’s Picture Book Recommendations

Summer Reset

Youth in grades 6-9 can participate in a summer program to help them tend to their emotional health from July 19 - August 29. If your teen is longing for a way to take care of their emotional well-being, this is a great opportunity to do so virtually with a group of peers and caring adult leaders from your very own home. Chris Clark explains more in this video. Click here for more info. Questions? Contact Chris Clark.

Parent Connect: Wrestling With Rest

The Youth Vision Team is inviting parents of teens to read Wrestling With Rest together this summer. This book is a great guide to thinking about and practicing sabbath rest. This virtual reading group from June 19 - August 22 will serve as a way for families to contemplate and practice rhythms of rest as we head into a new and unknown school year. Chris Clark explains more in this videoClick here to register. Questions? Contact Chris Clark.

Update from the Westminster Thrift Shop

The Thrift Shop subcommittee, formed to review guidelines of the CDC, Donegal Presbytery, and state of Pennsylvania, with a goal to provide a safe and healthy environment for our volunteers and customers at reopening, continues to meet via Zoom. To date, the subcommittee completed Phase One of the reconfiguration of the thrift shop to comply with the social distancing guidelines. Plexiglass, masks, gloves, and hand sanitizers are on order for our volunteers and customers. A special quarantine area in which donations will be held for 48 hours before customers can make purchases, is being prepared. We will continue to keep you updated and ask for your patience in holding your donations as we all look forward to our reopening on Tuesday, September 8.

Spotlight on a WPC Nonprofit Partner: CVIM

Community Volunteers In Medicine (CVIM) is celebrating 20 years of providing much needed healthcare services to people who live or work in the Chester County region who lack access to insurance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly to provide continuing healthcare, hope, and healing during these difficult times. With the pandemic and economic crises causing greater anxiety and depression, CVIM transitioned to telehealth counseling and psychiatry immediately. While CVIM currently provides some healthcare services via telehealth, patients with urgent medial and dental care needs are seen in-person through modified operations. CVIM expresses their vision in this way: “May we have eyes to see those who are rendered invisible and excluded; may we have open arms and hearts to reach out and include them; may our healing hands touch their lives with love, and in the process heal ourselves.” Click here to learn more about CVIM or to support their mission to provide healthcare services to those in need in our community.