The members and friends of Vale church support a number of local agencies
that provide help to the struggling members of our community. There
are always opportunities to help in one of these activities. The following
is a list of the agencies or organizations that we support on an on-going
basis. Check
the online calendar to find the dates in the coming months for these
activities, and either sign up on the church bulletin board or call
or email the contact to schedule a time.
Alternative
House
Community
for Helping Others (CHO)
FACETS
Hot Meal Program
Grocery
Dollars
The
Closet
Ronald
McDonald House
Blood
Drive
Alternative House
Alternative House's Emergency Shelter is a completely voluntary two-week
crisis intervention program for young people 13 to 17 years old. Young
people receive intensive individual and group counseling, as well as
family therapy. The Emergency Shelter allows them the time and space
to begin sorting out their problems.
Vale is responsible for preparing and delivering a meal once a month.
The meal is prepare in your home and delivered to Alternative House
for 4-10 teenagers (the exact number is determined before you prepare).
This is a great activity to share with your children. Contact Linda
Potts at ljpo@aol.com or (703) 620-9293.
Community for Helping Others (CHO)
Vale supports the furniture arm of CHO which picks up donated furniture,
appliances, and other household articles that are in usable condition,
stores them in a space made available by the Town of Vienna, and redistributes
those items to those in need. Member churches and organizations provide
volunteer drivers and assistants for the CHO truck operation. Call (703)
281-7614 if you would like to donate items. Contact John Potts at ljpo@aol.com
or (703) 620-9293 if you would like to assist with the truck operations.
We participate one Saturday every three months.
FACETS Hot Meal Program
Fairfax Area Christian Emergency & Transitional Services, Inc. (FACETS)
is a non-profit organization providing emergency intervention and educational
programs for homeless and low-income people in Fairfax County. There
are more than 2,000 homeless people in Fairfax County; one-third of
which are children. FACETS' programs and services help individuals in
need to help themselves.
Vale participates by preparing and delivering meals to the homeless
once every other month. We prepare food at the church starting at 4:00pm,
and deliver the food to the Facets delivery points starting at 5:45.
To help, contact Linda or John Potts at ljpo@aol.com or (703) 620-9293.
Grocery Dollars
The proceeds from grocery dollars are designated for a different outreach
each month. You can purchase 'gift' cards to Giant, Safeway, or Shoppers
Food Warehouse. Five percent of the value of the card is donated by
the grocery store to the church and is applied to the designated outreach
for the month, while you still get the full amount that you purchase.
The grocery gift cards are available after each Sunday service. If you
desire, you may make an additionally personal donation to the designated
mission. Contact Ed Lowry at elowry@patriot.net
or 703-620-6632.
The Closet
The Closet, in Herndon, assists low-income families by supplying used
clothing. Over the years, this nonprofit enterprise has evolved into
a significant resource for the greater Herndon area. The Closet accepts
a wide variety of quality-donated items, including clothing, household
items, electronic and sporting goods, books, toys, videos, musical instruments,
and other items. After preparing acceptable items for sale, The Closet
sells them for a nominal price. In addition, The Closet donates clothing
without charge to needy persons, after referral by an authorized social
service agency, the homeless shelter, or by a sponsoring congregation.
Most important to our mission is utilization of our profits for projects
that will directly or indirectly benefit low-income families.
Vale provides two volunteers to the Closet one or two times a month
from 10:00am - 2:00pm. They help with sorting, selling, or whatever
needs to be done. Check the online calendar for future dates. Contact
Chris Olson at golsonc@aol.com
or (703) 476-4561, or Dottie Dobbins at dobbinspd@msn.com
or (703) 620-6609.
Ronald McDonald House
The Ronald McDonald House provides a "home away from home"
for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby
hospitals. On the third Saturday of each month, Vale provides a meal
for the guests at Ronald McDonald House behind Fairfax Hospital. The
number of guests may be from 4 to 20 - the exact number is provided
before you prepare the meal. Contact Delta Pelgrim at dpelgrim@gmail.com
or (703) 255-9595.
Blood Drive
Vale hosts a blood drive for INOVA Blood Donor Services twice a year,
nominally in April and October. The blood drive always coincides with
a pancake breakfast, and frequently, other special activities. All donors
get a free breakfast. The blood drives will be announced in the 'What's
Happening at Vale' link on the home page two months before each drive.
The dates (always on a Saturday morning) will be included on the online
calendar. Contact Linda Allardyce at lallardyce@aol.com
or 703-620-2281 for questions or to sign up.
