Helping Hands

Our thanks to all of you who helped pack the pulpit during the month of November. The response was overwhelming. With the cold weather now upon us, the need for food, blankets and winter coats is always a necessity. The needs of our community always grow during the winter months so your donations are greatly appreciated. We also thank all of you who volunteer throughout the year. Your help is a true blessing. Please keep this ministry in your prayers as we continue to serve the Raleigh County area.

Once again this year we are continuing our Thanksgiving project of packing the pulpit with non-perishable food and blankets for Helping Hands.  Our goal is to pack the pulpit with so much food and blankets that Pastor Doc has to preach from the floor of the sanctuary the Sunday before Thanksgiving.    This project has been a huge success in the past and has been a huge blessing to our clients.   Our numbers continue to grow weekly and with the winter fast upon us, that need will surely increase.

We also could use gently used coats, all the way from babies to adults.  Many of our clients come in the winter months with virtually nothing in the way of winter outerwear.  So go through your closets and see if there’s a coat or two that you no longer wear that we could use.

As always, please keep us in your prayers as we continue to serve the people of Raleigh County.

As the calendar turns into October, the weather is starting to turn cooler and our focus shifts a bit to providing for needy families for the winter.  Winter coats and blankets are always in need.

Our food pantry continues to run low on our non-perishable items and the demand is constantly rising.  Your non-perishable contributions are greatly appreciated and can be left in the large box outside the church office.  We are also still in need of volunteers to work and would welcome your help there as well.

As always, we appreciate your love and prayers for this ministry and ask that you continue to pray for the needs of our community to be met.

The ministry of Helping Hands is going strong helping the citizens of Raleigh County with food and clothing items.  The demand is getting greater and greater and that’s where you can help.  Non-perishable food items, toilet paper and soap are always good items to donate.

They have also started a project of collecting toothbrushes and toothpaste so that in August every child in a client’s family with a new toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste before they start school.   These donations can be left in the large box outside the church office.

Your monetary support is also appreciated as well as your prayers for the clients and for the workers who tirelessly help out when the center is open.  If you happen to have a morning free, please contact Edna Nasby. She’s always looking for a helping hand.

Helping Hands is starting a program to provide each child in a client’s family with a new toothbrush and full size tube of toothpaste.

Their goal is to have these ready to go in August just as the children are going back to school.

They serve over 700 clients each month and each family has several children so the need is tremendous.

Donations can either be brought to Helping Hands on Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 until noon or left in the donation box outside the church office.

Please keep these families in your prayers daily.

We also continue to need non-perishable food items, soap and toilet tissue.  These items can be placed in the donation box outside the church office as well. 

Helping Hands Community Resource Center is a ministry not only of First Baptist Church but of other churches in the Raleigh County area.  We have volunteers from several churches and from the community who volunteer on a weekly basis both in our front office and back in our food and clothing room.  A special thank you to those volunteers.

This ministry is growing on a daily basis and so does the need for non-perishable food, soap, toilet paper and gently used men’s, ladies and children’s clothing. These donations allow us to help those in our community are in need of our services.  Please keep this ministry and these families in your prayers on a daily basis.   Your donations can be brought to Helping Hands Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 to noon or they can be left in the large box outside the church office.

Thanks so very much for your support over these past winter months.  The need was greater than ever and with God’s help we managed to serve the people in our community with coats and blankets as well as food, clothing, soap and toilet paper.  But, the need is still there and grows weekly.    Donations can be dropped off at Helping Hands or placed in the box outside the church office.

We could also use some help working during the hours we are open which is Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 until noon.  Some of our regular workers can no longer help and there are days when we are short-handed.  Please contact Edna Nasby and ask her when she needs help.

Helping Hands is always in need of bar soap and toilet tissue.  These items are given out on a monthly basis to their clients and the need is growing every month.   Non-perishable food items are also needed.   Donations can be left in the box outside the church office.

Help is also needed in the form of actually working at Helping Hands.  Many of the workers have had to leave for medical or other reasons and the need for workers is great.  We are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM until noon.  Please pray about this need and see Edna Nasby to let her know when you can work.

It may seem like something very trivial to you but it’s something we all use.  Helping Hands has been giving out toilet tissue and bar soap along with food items and your help in this project is needed.  What they need is for people to pledge a monthly gift of toilet tissue and/or bar soap.  Your donations will not only help those less fortunate but it will also help the dollars at Helping Hands to go further if they don’t have to purchase these items.  See Edna Nasby and let her know she can count on your support.   Donations can be left outside the church office.

One other way you can help.  If you shop at Krogers and have access to a computer, you can register your Kroger card at Kroger.com.  Once you have your card registered, go to the Community tab and click on Kroger Community Rewards and follow the instructions from there.  Helping Hands gets a percentage of your shopping total each time you shop.   If you have any questions about this, contact the church office.

We were overwhelmed with the support that we have received from our church family and the Beckley and Raleigh County community during 2016.  The Thanksgiving food, coat and blanket drive will help us immensely throughout the winter.  We also thank our volunteers who come week after week to give their time to help in this vital ministry as well as those of you who support us financially month after month.

While the final numbers were not available at the time of this article, our numbers were up consistently each and every month and we anticipate that trend will continue in the new year so we will need your continued support.  We are always in need of bath soap and toilet tissue.  Non-perishable food items are also needed because the more that is donated, the less we have to purchase and this helps our budget and finances.   Donations can be left in the large box outside the church office.