The Lord Has Done Great Things

Blessings for Children

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!
Psalm 126:3

Numbers won’t begin to tell the whole story. So as we close out our third year of serving children in need in our community through our Blessings for Children’s ministry, we thought we would give you a sense of how many children you have helped by your support of our church and this ministry in 2021. Blessings for Children is open one day a week, on Wednesdays, to serve families with children ages infant through 5th grade, and as of this writing, with only one Wednesday left in 2021, we have served 968 children this year. Based on the number of children we have served in the weeks leading up to Christmas (we set a record of 43 children served on Dec. 15th), we believe we will help nearly 1,000 children in 2021!

Serving children means we, through your generosity, have provided needs like diapers, baby wipes, new t-shirts, underwear and socks, personal care items to include lice treatment, and school supplies throughout the year. We served each of those children through at least one adult family member. So that is a lot of people blessed by the mission heart of this church at the #10 2nd Street house! If you drive by on Wednesdays, you may see families waiting outside to come in!

You helped us provide Thanksgiving food bags and grocery gift cards to 28 families, and through your Angel Tree giving, we were able to share Walmart gift cards to help 24 very appreciative families. These numbers represent people who had a need and came to our church. Shalimar UMC has served for decades as a beacon of hope and blessings and sharing the love of Jesus in our area. Blessing for Children is a thankful and blessed ministry that opens its doors each week. May we continue to bring glory to our Heavenly Father as we serve Him and His children in the coming year!

If you would like to join us in helping our area’s children in need at Blessings for Children, here are some ways to consider:  
 

• Please pray for the ministry and all who participate. Be on the lookout for families you can refer to us for assistance.
  
  
• Consider donating items we distribute to the children: diapers (size 4, 5, and 6 in particular), pull-ups, wipes, school supplies, children sized t-shirts, socks and underwear, children’s toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, lice treatment kits, and toilet paper. A complete list of items we distribute can be found at shalimar-umc.org/blessings-for-children. You can donate items by stopping by the #10 2nd Street house behind the church any Wednesdays from 11:30am - 3:30pm.
  
  
• Children’s bibles, bible stories, and activity books are always a joy to receive and distribute. Spanish language Bibles are always needed!
  
  
• A financial gift designated to Blessings for Children through the church allows us to replenish the needed items we distribute weekly.          

               
New volunteers are always welcome, with no regular commitment required.

For additional information
Mary Jane Robertson
Email: mjr53@cox.net
Visit: shalimar-umc.org/blessings-for-children
Phone or text: (850) 499-6173
Open every Wednesday 12 - 3:30 pm