Special Needs Ministry offers help during trying times
In these tough economic times, little things may make all the difference in the world.
A family might be walking the fine line between getting by and falling behind when life puts an emergency in their path. Suddenly, they're faced with paying the doctor or the mechanic, even though it means skipping groceries or holding back the mortgage payment.
When members of the Special Needs Ministry at Calvary United Pentecostal Church in Addison see struggling families, they help out however they can. Maybe the ministry pays for a prescription, buys a tank of gas, helps pay for groceries - whatever might bridge the financial gap.
The ministry runs a food pantry, offers the makings of Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, buys Christmas gifts for children in families with financial needs and helps support the Addison Community Switchboard to extend aid into the broader community.
Julie Katsion, who is coordinating a Talent Expo to raise money for the ministry, discusses the ministry's outreach and the coming event.
Q. What is your mission?
A. To fulfill Christ's calling to help those in need by providing love and food in time of crisis and other assistance as we have provision.
Q. How do you work toward accomplishing that goal?
A. We try to replenish our food pantry and raise funds through donations offered to the ministry by faithful supporters and through a couple of small fundraisers at the church, as well as through requests made by mail for donations from businesses. Our annual charity Talent Expo is our biggest opportunity to bring in the much-needed pantry items, toiletries and finances to help people throughout the year.
Q. Who do you serve?
A. We assist people within our church as well as others who have been referred to us. On occasion, we also have helped those who have come by the church seeking assistance. While we are not open to the public in general, we try to help anyone who we know has a need, inside or outside the church.
Q. When and why did the ministry start? How has it grown?
A. The ministry began about 10 years ago as an opportunity to provide families who were hurting financially with Christmas gifts for their children. We then decided to also provide Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter dinners. We also began giving outside our church by providing gifts each year for five children through Addison Community Switchboard at Christmas.
Next, we realized that hurting families also have needs throughout the year, so we began increasing our fundraising to include a Sunday school contest to see which class could donate the most food items to win a pizza party, and collecting change in containers sent home for each church family.
These were not enough, however. We needed something bigger and more creative. That is how the Talent Expo came into existence. This event is the biggest single fundraiser of the year for this ministry.
Most recently, we added mailing requests to businesses for donations. Now we can help more families throughout the year and not just at holidays.
We even have the opportunity to help a number of other families in Addison each year when our church hosts the annual Party in the Park. For the three weekends before the event, we walk around the whole area of the park to let families know about the free event and at that time we often find opportunities to help some families with food or clothing, sometimes even furniture. When we have enough funds, we can do more than when funds are low. That is one of the heartbreaks of this ministry, not being able to meet more needs.
Q. What kind of successes have you had?
A. There are many stories that have touched my heart over the years, but one in particular especially reminded me that this ministry is definitely in the center of God's will. One family struggles regularly to make ends meet and yet they do all they possible can to make it. They never ask for help and are always so loving, kind and giving to others.
This family had an unexpected dental emergency that was a tremendous burden on their finances. They never asked us for help, but on becoming aware of the situation, we immediately knew we wanted to help this family. We paid the bill in full.
The husband was so overwhelmed with gratitude and surprise that he teared up and was, at first, quite speechless. I reassured him he didn't have to say a word and that we had been looking for a way to help their family. We thank God that we were able to help them.
Another family had an unexpected reaction when we delivered Thanksgiving dinner to this single mom and her children. She said this was the first turkey they had ever been able to have at Thanksgiving, their first real Thanksgiving dinner ever!
One retired gentleman has a number of physical ailments. His family struggled so much one month that he couldn't afford his much-needed medication, which cost only $10. We provided that for him along with some food. These kind of stories make it all worthwhile.
Q. What challenges does the ministry currently face?
A. The hardest part of this ministry is that we cannot meet all the needs. Sometimes we have to limit what we can do because of limited funds.
Another difficult part of this ministry is that we cannot be a continuous support to families that find themselves in ongoing need. Our ministry isn't large enough to provide in that way, so sometimes we have to try to refer them to other resources if possible.
That is one reason we give 20 percent of what we make in the freewill offering at the Talent Expo to the Addison Community Switchboard. We refer people to that local organization, helps Addison families.
Q. What do you wish the community at large knew about the ministry?
A. This past year, I really didn't think we'd have enough money to provide families with gifts and food at Christmas. I prayed and trusted God to provide for the ministry. By faith, we purchased Thanksgiving meals for seven families knowing it would deplete our funds. Miraculously, God provided more than we needed just in time for the Christmas through an outside business and generous donations from church members.
Also, we want to let people know that we really do care. We never want to make anyone feel unimportant or uncomfortable. We strive to serve in love.
Q. How can readers get involved?
A. We are always open to receiving financial donations as well as donations of gift cards (from Jewel, Target, Walmart), gas cards or services such as oil changes, auto repairs, medical help, dental help or whatever other services someone could benefit from.
Everyone is also welcome to attend our Talent Expo and bring toiletries, pantry items and a financial donation to place in the freewill offering. It's a great time and it's for a great cause!
Q. What happens at the Talent Expo?
A. We call it an expo because not only will there be performances by singers, a bell choir, choirs of various ages and sizes, musical dramas, dramatic sign language done to a moving song, musicians and more, but there also will be an art gallery where artists will display photography, crafts, paintings and drawings.
The "entrance fee" is a few toiletry or pantry items per person. We are asking for items such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, deodorant, razors, toilet paper, paper towels, soup, cereal, spaghetti and spaghetti sauce, etc.
At the halfway point of the show, there will be an opportunity to give a financial donation. From what we collect, 20 percent will go to Addison Community Switchboard and the rest will go to our Special Needs Ministry so we can help families throughout the year.
After the show, there will be ice cream with toppings and baked goods for sale at a minimal cost. Proceeds from that also will go the Special Needs Ministry to help families.
The Talent Expo is the biggest single fundraiser of the year for our ministry.
If you go
What: Fourth annual Talent Expo
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20
Where: Calvary United Pentecostal Church, 19W701 Army Trail Road, Addison
Cost: Toiletry or pantry items
Info: (630) 628-6866