Glade Valley Community Services Newsletter P.O. Box 655 ...

[Pages:8]Glade Valley Community Services Newsletter P.O. Box 655, Walkersville, Maryland 21793

301-845-0213 November 2018

Our Mission To meet the needs of families and individuals in the Glade Valley area through

the coordination of donations of time, talent, money and other resources. Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Glade Valley Community Services (GVCS) is an umbrella non-profit organization serving the Walkersville feeder school area. Its programs include the Food Bank, the Thrift Shop, the Emergency Relief Fund, the Back to School supplies distribution and the Holiday Toy Shoppe. We provide some funding to SOWAC for the summer lunch program. All programs are run entirely by volunteers and donations.

Please help us continue to make a difference. For your consideration and convenience, a contribution envelope is enclosed. You may designate your donation for a specific program or allow GVCS to use it where it is most needed. Thank you!

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10 SUPPORT THE GLADE VALLEY FOOD BANK THROUGH

SCOUTING FOR FOOD

The Glade Valley Food Bank is looking to the community to help fill its empty shelves on Saturday, November 10 through the Walkersville/Woodsboro/Mt. Pleasant area Boy Scout annual Scouting for Food drive. The Scouts will leave a postcard on your front door or mailbox on Saturday, November 3. This is a change from past years, when the Scouts would leave a bag. Please fill one of your own plastic shopping bags with nonperishable food and place outside on Saturday, November 10 by 9:00am for pickup. All food collected will be delivered to the Glade Valley Food Bank that day.

We are a growing community, and there are not always enough Scouts to cover all the neighborhoods. If the Scouts don't distribute postcards to your neighborhood, why not fill a plastic shopping bag (and collect one from your neighbors) and deliver to the back parking lot of Walkersville Town Hall, 21 W. Frederick St. on Saturday, November 10. Volunteers will be there along with the Scouts, their leaders and parents, sorting, boxing and storing the food collected. This is a chance for the entire community to make a difference. (Or bring your bag by during the week and leave in the new outdoor blue and gold donation box.)

Please support the Food Bank in this very important food drive which provides a significant amount of food. Each month approximately 150 households visit the Food Bank, and about 5,000 pounds of food are given out. Last year the Scouts collected about 10,000 pounds of food. Everyone is hoping that amount increases this year.

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All non-perishable food items are welcome. Clean plastic grocery bags are always welcome. Please check the "Use by Date" on items you are taking out of your cupboards. Due to generous donations, there is a large inventory green beans and corn. Most needed items. The Food Bank co-managers, Donna Swanson and Brenda Haines, list the following as the most needed food items:

Hamburger/Chicken Helper Canned Pasta (spaghetti-O's, etc.) Boxed Potatoes (mashed, scalloped)

Soup Baked Beans Canned Fruit

Cereal Toilet Paper Canned Tuna

Rice Applesauce Peanut Butter

The generosity of local gardeners who shared their produce with the Food Bank this summer is most appreciated. Our community grocery stores donate thousands of bread and bakery items, produce and other food items.

Many churches, schools and other organizations have collection boxes for Food Bank items. If yours does not, why not start one? Food Drive sponsors are needed throughout the year. If your organization is planning an event this fall or winter, why not include a collection for the Food Bank during the event? Many organizations include a note in their announcement asking attendees to bring an item for the Food Bank.

Volunteers Donna Swanson and Brenda Haines are the co-managers. Volunteers are always needed for the many jobs at the Food Bank. To volunteer, call or email the Food Bank. Especially needed are volunteers to help unload delivery trucks and move boxes of food several times a month during the day. The Food Bank is located in the lower level of Town Hall, 21 West Frederick St, in Walkersville, and is open Mondays, 6:30 to 8:00 pm and Thursdays, 1:00 to 3:00 pm. The phone number is 301-845-4229. Food Bank email: gvfb21w@

NEW FOOD DONATION BOX Donating food just got easier

Mary Miller, a senior in high school, has built a large food donation box for the Food Bank as her Girl Scout Gold Star award project. The blue and gold box is located near the rear of the Walkersville Town Hall, by the back door to the Food Bank. Donations of food may be placed in the weather proof box anytime; no need to wait until the Food Bank is open. No more food will be spoiled because a donation was left out in the rain. The box opens from the front like a cupboard so the food is easy for donors to load and volunteers to empty. Bring a donation of nonperishable food and check out the new donation box!

Mary is a former Walkersville High student who now attends the rigorous International Baccalaureate program at Urbana High school. She is a member of Girl Scout Troop 81200. Members and leaders of her Scout Troop, as well as members and leaders of Scoutmaster Troop 270, Venture Crew 270, and Boy Scout Troop 1070 all helped transform her vision into a reality. Sean Young provided workshop space, materials and construction knowledge; N.Z. Cramer & Sons Inc. donated the plywood.

Mary held a Walkersville Hunger Awareness day at the Food Bank on October 7. Participants were able to see the new donation box and tour the Food Bank, as well as learn about the issues that the community is facing in relation to food availability.

Great job Mary, and many thanks to you and the many people who helped on this project. It is a much appreciated addition to the Food Bank program and will benefit many.

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Vote for the "Snallygaster" Ship During the Color on the Creek Fundraiser this Winter!

The Snallygaster will be a Viking-themed sailboat floating on Carroll Creek in downtown Frederick this winter as part of the "Sailing Through the Winter Solstice" fundraiser by the Color on the Creek charity organization. The Snallygaster will be one of 8 or 9 lighted sailboats in the water display (and 1 or 2 on land / sky) Thanksgiving through February. A beautiful sight at night. Its proceeds will benefit GVCS programs! (70% GVCS and 30% Color on the Creek) The Snallygaster is sponsored, built and funded by Ed and Vicki Poole and Thom and Teresa Beckley.

Beginning Thanksgiving weekend, anyone, anywhere, can vote on the secure link at donate website for $1 per vote. There will be pictures of each boat with accompanying information about its sponsors and the charity they support. Ask all your family and friends across the country to vote. Checks can also be made out to "Color on the Creek" and mailed to: Color on the Creek c/o Mark Flanagan, CPA, 1509 Homestead Ave., Frederick, MD 21702. **Be sure to write the boat name Snallygaster on your check so we get your votes and donations! (In addition to the proceeds, there will be prizes for the boats with the most votes.)

To let you in on a secret... there is a large green sea serpent aboard the Snallygaster! The name, "Snallygaster", according to American folklore, was storied to have been a large "dragon-like beast that inhabited Central Maryland and particularly Frederick County." (Wikipedia)

BE SURE TO VOTE for the "SNALLYGASTER" and SUPPORT GVCS!

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Holiday Toy Shoppe to be held in December

Glade Valley Community Services Holiday Toy Shoppe is making a list and checking it twice so families who are experiencing financial difficulties can provide a happy Christmas experience for their children. Last year the Holiday Toy Shoppe provided new clothes, toys and books to 155 children and gift cards and books to 88 teens. This program is supported by the generosity of the churches, schools, businesses and individuals in our community. Almost all the gifts the children and teens receive and the door prizes the parents receive are donated. The families do go through a screening process to ensure the help is really provided for those that need it, and that they reside in the Walkersville Feeder School District. Applications were accepted from the families in October. During November we provide all our donors with information regarding what specific items are needed for these children. All the donations will be dropped off at Walkersville Town Hall on Sunday, December 2th with the families coming to Town Hall on December 5th to collect their gifts. This year, the co-chairs of the Holiday Toy Shoppe are Ann Wadding, and Mary Ann Brodie-Enis. Many volunteers work hard to make this program such a success. Our committee is always looking for new volunteers to join us. If you are interested in joining us on this wonderful project or wish to donate gifts, please contact Ann at 301-845-0213 and leave a message.

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Community Thrift Shop

Fall and winter clothes fill the racks at the Community Thrift Shop; there are shirts, pants, sweaters, dresses, jackets, coats, shoes and more for infants, children, teens and adults. But they are going fast as area families get ready for fall and winter. Children's clothing especially goes quickly. As you clean out warm weather clothes and bring out the fall and winter items, remember the Thrift Shop. Pack up the clothes you don't want and donate to the Thrift Shop.

The GVCS Community Thrift Shop is located in the basement of St. Paul's Lutheran Church Parish Hall at 19 West Pennsylvania Ave. near Fulton Ave. in Walkersville. The shop is open most Saturdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. A bag of clothing is $2.00, coats $1.00 and shoes are free. All proceeds benefit GVCS programs.

Children's clothing is always needed at the Thrift Shop. Please donate your clean, gently used clothes and books to the Thrift Shop to benefit local families. Look for the name Glade Valley Thrift Shop on the green clothing drop boxes. Please be sure to drop donations inside the green boxes. Clothes left outside the boxes are often damaged by rain and dirt.

In Walkersville, the green clothing drop boxes are located at the entrance to the St. Paul's Parish Hall parking lot at 19 West Pennsylvania Ave. near Fulton Ave., and at the Walkersville Community Church, 207 Braeburn Drive. In Woodsboro, there is a clothing drop box located in the upper parking lot at Woodsboro Evangelical Lutheran church, 101 S. Main St. Entrance to the upper parking lot is by way of Church alley.

The Community Thrift Shop is in great need of Volunteers to work when the Thrift Shop is open Saturdays 10:00 am to 2:00 pm or to help sort clothing during the week. Volunteers for Saturday hours have been in short supply during the summer. If there are not enough volunteers on a particular Saturday, the Thrift Shop may not be open that week. Please volunteer for a couple of hours or on a regular weekly or monthly schedule. Teens looking for community service hours are welcome. This is a wonderful opportunity for any group or organization looking for a service opportunity. The co-managers are volunteers MaryAnne Schouw and Mel Palmer. To volunteer, contact MaryAnne at maryanne.schouw@ .

Scholarship Awarded for Fall 2018

Luke M. Gladhill is the recipient of the 2018 Peg and Orley Bourland Educational Assistance Fund scholarship, awarded through GVCS and The Community Foundation of Frederick. Luke is attending the John Deere Agricultural Technician Program at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, NC where he will earn an Associate of Applied Science degree. Luke plans to work in his family's John Deere Tractor Mart dealership after graduation.

The scholarship is available to students in Walkersville and the Walkersville feeder school area, and provides needbased funds for post-secondary education in trade or technical fields to help underwrite the costs associated with tuition, fees, testing, trade tools and supplies. Applications for 2019 will be available from The Community Foundation in February and March, 2019.

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Back to School Supplies Donated by Community

Thanks to a generous community, 224 students from 85 families living in the Walkersville feeder school area were provided school supplies at the GVCS Back to School supplies distribution. Each year, GVCS holds a school supply distribution to help ensure that area students do not start school without the needed supplies. Students who start school without the basic supplies are already "behind" on the first day, and quickly lose their motivation.

This year, the school supply distribution was held at the Glade Valley Food Bank on August 19. Each student chose a backpack, pencil case and a few miscellaneous extras, and then received a bag filled with all the supplies on the list provided by the school. The remaining school supplies were distributed to the Walkersville feeder schools.

GVCS thanks everyone who donated supplies and money. Generous donations were received from individuals and families in the community and the members and employees of the following organizations: Mom's Club of Walkersville, Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, Lonza, Galaxy Control Systems, St. Timothy Catholic Church, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Walkersville United Methodist Church, Glade United Church of Christ, Peace In Christ Lutheran Church, and Fusion Fitness and Dance. The distribution could not have occurred without all the volunteers who sorted, organized, packed the supplies and helped on distribution day.

SOWAC Summer Lunch Program

Summer Outreach Walkersville Area Churches

Do you remember as a child how long the summer would seem to last? I remember wanting to go back to school just because it would be something to do! I was bored. Now fast forward to present time where summer seems to pass in an instant! But believe it or not, kids are still bored during their long summer break. And many are hungry without their free/reduced price breakfast and lunch from school.

The SOWAC free summer lunch program is a solution for both hunger and boredom. The Discovery site ran for 9 weeks serving just over 900 meals. As for the boredom, we took care of that too. The kids were entertained with the likes of Key Keyote, Fountain Rock Nature Program, Face Painting by Vicki, Walkersville Library and many games and crafts.

Discovery was supported by Calvary Assembly of God, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Peace in Christ Lutheran Church and St. Timothy Catholic Church. Volunteers from these churches served the food and provided a safe, loving and fun environment for the kids.

The Creamery Park site ran for 2 weeks in June, enjoying the same visitors, games and crafts. Creamery Park was supported by volunteers from Glade United Church of Christ. In July, there was an exciting turn of events as the Walkersville Library welcomed us into the Community Room to continue the lunch program there for 6 more weeks.

The Library supported the program for 4 weeks by providing 30 minutes of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) activities followed by 30 minutes of browsing the library shelves each day. IsReal Life Center supported the program for 2 weeks playing games inside and out, encouraging kids to reach beyond their comfort zones. The

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Creamery Park site and Library combined served over 1200 meals. Next summer, the Library will provide a similar program. SOWAC will no longer run a program at Creamery Park.

There is so much heart that goes into this program, and its success is due to the collaboration of FCAA (Frederick Community Action Agency), GVCS, churches and volunteers who want to make a difference in the Walkersville community. Amy Queen and Jennifer Goodman were the hard working coordinators of the SOWAC program. Thank you all!

Once again, summer has become a memory, and for the kids, it's back to school. But for the SOWAC team, summer is always on our minds as we begin to plan for next summer. If your church or community organization is interested in growing this outreach, please contact Jennifer Goodman at JenniferGoodman711@ .

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Emergency Relief Fund 3rd Quarter Report 2018 (July 1 ? September 30, 2018)

The two Emergency Relief Fund volunteers have been busy this quarter with a total of 59 calls. Some calls were related to other GVCS programs, and some callers were not from the GVCS service area or for other reasons did not qualify for ERF assistance. A total of 14 callers received Emergency Relief Fund assistance. The volunteers spent over 50 hours in direct contact helping the callers.

Callers who Received Emergency Relief Fund Assistance 14

Adults living in household

17

Children living in household (under age 18)

12

Assistance Provided for these 14 Families' Needs

- Electric - Rent - Water - Car Payment/Insurance - Vehicle Gas - Generator/Gas - Medic Supplies/Cell/Ins.

(1 case) (3 cases) (5 cases) (2 cases) (1 case) (2 cases) (1 case)

$192.29 $800.00 $729.73 $949.05 $60.00 $317.98 $219.93

Total Assistance Provided

$3268.98

Total ERF Assistance for Year to Date

$6218.98

Record of Calls related to Homelessness*

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*HUD defines in 4 broad categories: 1) living in a place not meant for human habitation, 2) losing their night-time residence, 3) families w/ children who are unstably housed, or 4) fleeing/attempting to flee domestic violence

Calls from homeless person(s)

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[Callers with Evictions (Homelessness Prevention)] 6

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In August, Walkersville McDonald's presented GVCS with a generous donation at their Grand Re-Opening celebration. Pictured here are Glen Kikuchi, franchise owner; Debbie Flanagan, manager; Don Boos, GVCS Board President; and Kathy Fenimore, GVCS Board member

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Learn more about Glade Valley Community Services (GVCS) by visiting the Walkersville Library in November and viewing our exhibit in their display case.

Then on December 8, attend the "Helping Those in Need" event, and "learn about charities in Walkersville and Frederick County, and how you can help others in need during the holidays and beyond." Representative from GVCS and other Frederick County organizations will be at the event to explain their services and how you can help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THANK YOU

Thank you to every volunteer and donor who help us serve the needs of the community in so many different ways. Just a small fraction of them are mentioned in this newsletter. Their donations of time, talent and resources enable us to provide invaluable service to our community. Together, hundreds of our neighbors are making a difference for their neighbors. Many thanks to all for your service and generosity to our community.

Special thanks this month to all the Scouts, leaders, parents, volunteers and donors who made the Scouting for Food Drive a success.

Special thanks to Mary Miller and all the scouts and volunteers who built and donated the new outdoor food donation box for the Food Bank.

Thank you to the Walkersville Senior Citizens for preparing the newsletter for mailing. We appreciate their support of GVCS. The Walkersville Senior Citizens meet each Tuesday and Thursday in the Walkersville Town Hall community room for a program and lunch at 11 am. New members are welcome! An elevator is available. Linda Spears coordinates this service project.

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What You Can Do to help make a difference

Volunteer:

Especially needed are Thrift Shop volunteers. Other volunteer opportunities this winter include the Holiday Toy Shoppe and Food Bank

Donate:

Nonperishable food items to the Food Bank Gently used clean clothing (especially children's) to the Community Thrift Shop Needed items to the Holiday Toy Shoppe ? pick up a donation mitten from a local church, organization or business

Contributions are Welcome: GVCS, PO Box 655, Walkersville, MD 21793 For your consideration and convenience, a contribution envelope is enclosed. You may designate your donation for a specific program or allow GVCS to use it where it is most needed. Holiday Gift idea: You may make the donation in honor of or in memory of a special person.

Please support local businesses who support Glade Valley Community Services: Area grocery stores who donate so much to the Food Bank: Giant, Safeway, Trout's Market, Walmart, Wegmans Leslie Baker, local Cruise Planner and Travel Consultant, will make a donation to Glade Valley Community Services for any travel booked through her agency when you reference GVCS during the booking process. Please email Leslie at labbaker@ or call 240-415-0978.

Contributions Welcome You may designate your donations for a specific program or allow GVCS to use it where it is most needed. Contributions are tax-deductible. GVCS is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization which is funded solely by contributions and run by volunteers.

Contact us:

GVCS Offices / Emergency Relief Fund

Phone: 301-845-0213

Fax: 301-845-9811

Food Bank Phone: 301-845-4229

Address: P.O. Box 655, Walkersville, MD 21793



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If you would like to be added to or deleted from our email list for the E-newsletter (in color, more pictures, expanded stories and saving us postage) please contact: Leslie Baker labbaker@ To be added to, or deleted from, our paper copy mailing list, please contact Leslie Baker also.

Newsletter Editor: Kathy Fenimore fenimorekathy1@

Dates to Remember

November 10 Scouting for Food place your bag of food outside by 9 am November Walkersville Library display case ? featuring Glade Valley Community Services (GVCS) December 2 ? 4 Holiday Toy Shoppe set up -- volunteers needed December 5 Holiday Toy Shoppe distribution day ? volunteers needed December 8 Walkersville Library ? "Helping Those in Need" --learn about GVCS and other Frederick County charities Thanksgiving through February ? Color on the Creek lighted ships -- vote for the GVCS ship "Snallygaster"

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