A big "thank you" to all of the many dedicated volunteers in this vital ministry. Church of the Resurrection has provided this outreach for many years. Special thanks go to Gloria Mogavero who not only had the insight to recognize the need in the community, but had the ambition to identify a viable response, and made the commitment to make it happen. It is truly amazing that the Fairport community has the level of need that makes providing this service a real necessity.
On the third Sunday of each month, volunteers prepare hot, nutritious food that will serve about 100 people. Approximately 60 meals are delivered to homes and 30 to 40 are served to "in-house" diners. Any leftovers are made available to Caring and Sharing to provide food for people known to Church of the Resurrection as being in need. If there is still food that has not been consumed, it is taken downtown to St. Joseph's House of Hospitality where it will always be gratefully accepted and used to help those in need. In addition to these services, we provide transportation services for one or two senior citizens. Most of the "in-house" diners live in the general area of the village, so there is a desire to keep the dining locations in that same area. Bethlehem Lutheran Church provides a meal on the second Sunday of each month, Fairport United Methodist Church on the fourth Sunday and First Congregational United Church of Christ when there is a fifth Sunday, therefore Church of the Resurrection uses the facility at the Fairport United Methodist Church to cook and serve from.
At the risk of overstating the obvious, the Sunday Dinner Ministry is always seeking volunteers. On any given Sunday there are approximately 30 people, in some way shape or form, involved with providing this service. The total effort is about a six-hour process that is segmented based on the function being performed. It starts at 8:30 with the meal preparation and ends someplace around 2:30 when the clean-up efforts are complete. Support comes in many forms, most of which are identified above and encompass everything from providing needed food items to participation in one of the volunteer opportunities, to financial contributions that will help defray the cost of food items. We have families with small children, pre-school age, who act as greeters to those coming to the meal. It is really "neat" to see the young children excited to greet the senior citizens, take them by the hand and lead them to their seat; it's hard to tell who is more excited the kids or the adults. One other area that is worth pointing out, again, is the young kids that have come to help with set-up. You see them coming into the kitchen wearing an extremely large set of food service gloves, hands in the air displaying the attitude that "I'm doing something special and I love it." All of this, coupled with the knowledge that the Parish is providing a worthwhile and appreciated service to the community leaves the volunteers with a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.
If you have any questions or would like to help please contact:
Bev or Mike Rees 585-223-7587
Thank you for your past and continuing support.