July 21, 2023
FAMILY PROMISE of San Joaquin
The week of July 9-16, Central served three families from Family Promise. It was a wonderful week. Two of the families had been at Central before. The third family was a single mom with an 11-year-old son. All the families are amazing. The parents are working and trying to find housing.
By the end of the week one of the families had secured housing in Stockton. This is the best news possible. I am proud that Central has been part of the success of this family.
We had amazing volunteers this past week. Several new people signed up. I am grateful and extremely thankful for the help from Jeni Bonilla, Dick Edelstein, Ric Campero, VanHa To Cowell, Sungho Lee, Andrea and Kinsey Moccia, and Martha and Haley Shuemake. These people committed to staying overnight in extremely hot conditions. As many of you know, the Knoles Building does not have any air conditioning upstairs. It was hot, hot, hot! Note to the Trustees, Central has plenty of money, how about looking into some type of air system in the Knoles Building? Our Sunday School and Youth Programs are all upstairs and it is almost unbearable to be upstairs in the heat. Just a thought!
The food served to the families was delicious. Dinner was provided by Mary Ann Cox-Martin, Elaine Bradbury, VanHa To Cowell, Ronesha Jackson, Dianne England, Glenda Schubert, and Martha Shuemake. Dinner time is always the best part of the Family Promise week. We all gather around a large table, eat, laugh, talk about the day, and really get to know one another. This is my favorite part of the week.
We celebrated a birthday this past week, played an axe (plastic) throwing game, and had fun with water balloons.
Many other people served by donating items for the food pantry, baking cookies, making bonbons, providing linen and any other items needed. As the daughter of a former “fruit tramp picker,” I thoroughly enjoy fresh summer fruit. I asked for fruit for the families and Central responded with an abundance of fruit.
Set up and take down – thank you Julius Hastings, John Bradbury, Glenda Schubert, and Martha Tipton. It is not easy to haul ten air mattresses up and down the stairs in the Knoles Building.
Thank you to all Centralites for your prayers, donations of food, supplies, and money. A special thank you to Dave and Jackie Bennett for introducing me to Family Promise of San Joaquin. And finally, I could not do any of this without my friends Glenda Schubert and Martha Tipton. They are my lifeline.
The next BIG Family Promise event is Night Without a Bed. It will be held at Central on Saturday, October 21. This is a major fundraiser for Family Promise. Lots and lots of help will be required for this event. Look for more information in the coming weeks/months.
Always,
Connie Edgecomb
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