WEDNESDAY WORDS

FROM METRO MINISTRIES, INC.

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March 17, 2021

Metro Lenten Moment

You won't want to miss today's Metro Lenten Moment. Min. Lydia L. Davis shares a Lenten reading and paints a beautiful picture of Barnes UMC's Community Resource Day, a 2020 Metro Ministry Grant Recipient.

We will continue to share a new video and grant recipient story each week through the end of April.

Getting Back to Lent Campaign

We are less than $900 from our goal!!! Help us reach 100%!

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our Getting Back to Lent Campaign so far. 

We are hoping to raise at least $4,000 towards our 2021 Grants program by asking folks to set aside at least $1/day during this season of Lent and make that a donation to Metro Ministries. You can click on the image above to make a donation now, or you may mail a check to Metro's office at 2560 Villa Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46203. 

Thank you for helping reach our goal and for your continued support of Metro Ministries! 

Faith and Action Project 2021

The Faith & Action Project at Christian Theological Seminary brings together faith communities, nonprofit organizations and leaders in business and government each year in a collaborative effort to turn back the tide of poverty. It does this each year through three components: 1) Spring Conference, where attendees are able to share ideas and hear from area organizations that are making a difference; 2) Faith and Action's Grant program aimed at innovative approaches to addressing poverty in Central Indiana; and 3) Fall Conference, where national experts discuss the big issues around poverty.

This year's Faith & Action Project Spring Conference is April 15, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm. National poverty-mitigation leader Nisha Patel will offer a keynote address that will kick off panel discussion with panelists from Heart Change Ministries, Public Advocates in Community Re-entry (PACE), Edna Martin Christian Center and Arrow Street development.

This free online event is open to all who are interested in learning more about fighting obverting in Central Indiana.

Attendance at the Spring Conference is a pre-requisite for organizations wanting to apply for a Faith and Action grant in 2021. Click HERE for more conference details and to register.

Volunteer Needs with Society of St. Andrew

Society of St. Andrew Indiana has been organizing many of the USDA Farm to Family Food Boxes distributions throughout the state. They are currently seeking volunteers to help continue distributing these boxes in Marion County. Volunteers are needed Thursday mornings, 8:00 - 10:00 am.

To sign up for this volunteer opportunity, go to Society of St. Andrew's calendar.

Society of St. Andrew continues to seek a volunteer forklift driver to help load pallets in Beech Grove. If you are a certified forklift driver and are available to help on Thursday mornings, please call Ann Radtke at 317-607-0004.

March Food Box Distributions in Johnson County

Food boxes will be distributed at Grace United Methodist Church in Franklin on March 19 and March 26. This distribution is part of the USDA's Farmers to Families program, initiated in April 2020. in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is sponsored by Grace UMC, Purdue Extension, Society of St. Andrew and Michelle's Little Free Pantry.

The distribution will be drive-thru only with face masks and social distancing required. 

Children and Youth resources shared in prior weeks:

• Playing in Uncertainty
• Indiana Summit on Out of School Learning
• Indiana Youth Institute's 2021 Indiana KIDS COUNT Data book
• 40 Developmental Assets
• 50 Ways to Engage Local Schools
• Helping Kids and Families Cope with the Stress of COVID-19
• Directory of Services for Children and Families
• Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences
• ACEs Primer Video
• "What do I do?" Trauma-Informed Support for Children
• Building Developmental Relationships During the COVID-19 Crisis

Please let us know if you have resources to share!

These Food Resources will continue to be shared weekly here and will also soon be available on Metro's website. Please note the information on these linked pages is subject to change frequently. For the most current information, use the links rather than printed documents.

For Food Pantries and Community Meal information in Marion, Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Johnson, Morgan and Shelby counties, click HERE.

Note: Mt. Olive United Methodist Church in Morgan County March pantry dates are March 15 and 26, from 2-6 p.m.