With the help of Cookie and Eunice and others, Catherine submitted a grant application to the Diocese for a $15,000 United Thank Offering (UTO) grant for the renovation of the Parish House kitchen this week. The grant would provide new cabinets, countertops and new appliances ( two refrigerators, dishwasher and ice maker)
The focus for the 2014-2015 United Thank Offering grants is The Gospel of Love proclaimed by Jesus Christ. The Diocese UTO committee on February 18 will select one application to forward to the national office of The Episcopal Church.
Here is part of the rationale for the grant request:
Grant Summary: The St Peter’s Episcopal Church Kitchen is in the 1740 section of our Parish House, one of the oldest buildings in Port Royal, Virginia. We need to update our space in order to operate as effectively as possible and to widen our ministry to the surrounding community. We use the kitchen to prepare food for various church functions, including the monthly ECW Village Dinner, which is a fundraiser for our annual ECW outreach giving. We also use the kitchen for a variety of outreach activities, including our monthly food distribution and the use of the space by the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service for a program that teaches people how to choose and to prepare healthy foods for their families.
What is the purpose of the project?
The purpose it to upgrade our kitchen in order to carry out current food ministries as effectively as possible and to widen the surrounding community outreach.
The community of Port Royla is in a food desert, an area which healthy fresh food is not readily available to the residents. The nearest grocery stores are over ten miles away and there is no public transportation.
In the past three years we have expanded our outreach food ministry in the town of Port Royal by preparing and serving Community Dinners for people in the Port Royal area in order to address the issues of food deprivation and to promote the social interaction of various groups in the area. We have held these dinners at the Port Royal fire house. Our goal is to hold these dinners at our own Parish House now that some of the social barriers in the town are beginning to dissolve. Our monthly food distribution currently serves needy families in the area and we distribute approximately 600 pounds of fresh produce each month. We want to use our kitchen to teach people how to prepare these recipes using the produce we distribute. This past year the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service has used our kitchen for their program, Foode Fridays. Once a month, they hold educational cooking classes at St Peter’s. The people who attend learn about healthy eating. We also use our kitchen for our monthly ECW Village Dinner fundraisers. Proceeds are used for outreach.
Who and how many will be served by this project?
The 66 members of our church use our kitchen on a regular basis. Many of our church activities revolve around our kitchen, including our monthly Sunday lunches, our dinners for young adults, youth group, Village Dinners, and a variety of social activities. We serve approximately 40 people from our church and community each month at the Village Dinner. We serve 64 people at our monthly food distribution. We have served over 100 people at some of our community dinners. An average of ten people each month attended the Virginia Cooperative Extension Foode Friday Programs this past year. We hope that we can grow all of these programs with improved kitchen facilities and add new programs.
How does the project seek to address the Fourth Mark of Mission: To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation?
This project directly addresses the issue of food deprivation in our community and the surrounding areas. Our congregation is committed to feeding the hungry, with the hope that the children reached will do better in school with better nutrition. We are also working to transform the unjust structures that make families vulnerable to poverty and lack of food through our new tutoring program for neighborhood children. In the past four years, we have used food and the hospitality around food to break down social barriers in our town, bringing people together to share meals as we join together for the Community Dinners. Our food distribution brings people to our Parish House, and as time has gone on, we are beginning to know one another in new ways that have brought our community closer. The St Peter’s Episcopal Church Men, who deliver Thanksgiving meals and Christmas gifts to area families, meet the families in person so that our parish has a connection with those we are serving.
What are the unique features of this project?
Port Royal was founded in the 1700’s, and is full of historic buildings, many of which are in a state of decay. Our Parish House is one of the oldest buildings in the town, and the church members have kept this building in good repair in spite of the challenges that its advanced age presents. The unique feature of this project will be to upgrade the kitchen while continuing to maintain the overall historic nature of the building.
What excites you about this project?
The renovation of our kitchen will allow us to continue our current missions more effectively, and will help us to develop new ways of meeting the needs of the community through hospitality and food preparation. This is a project we keep talking about, but we wonder how we’d ever fund it. The very idea that we might have the opportunity to make this renovation project a reality is exciting. This renovation will give us even more opportunities to come up with additional ideas for using our space for the good of our community.
Why should UTO fund this project?
UTO funding of this project will help us to continue our hospitality to the Port Royal community through food.
Our kitchen is at the heart of our church life and at the heart of most of our outreach activities. Our kitchen is at the heart of our ECW fundraising activities, which we use to help other organizations in the world to do God’s work, as well as to fund some of our own projects. Our dream is to have our kitchen be at the heart of community life in Port Royal. UTO funding will help us to make this dream come true, as well as to validate the vigorous and ongoing outreach work of the ECW in our parish over the past several decades. One of our parish goals is to make sure that our buildings are in the best and most useful condition possible now. We want to leave our buildings in optimal condition for the next generation so that they can continue the St Peter’s tradition of carrying God’s love into our community.