Hi folks
Today there are a couple of updates from some of the committees of Woodroffe. Even though the church building has been closed for use, the work of the church has still been happening.
Right Relations
The Right Relations Working Group is carrying on with “Your Turn”. We are scheduling a Zoom call for Monday June 22 from 7 pm to 8 pm. We asked the members of the Working Group to research and share stories about prominent Indigenous Canadians who have made a difference in their lives. There will be a presentation by Peter Morrison about Tom Jackson and one by Rachelle Dubois about Grandfather William Commanda.
Please let Trish Hassard (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) know you plan to participate so she can send you the link.
Outreach
1) Food pantries:
During this time of crisis due to CoVid-19, changes have been made to the way the food pantries that we support in the West End are run.
Pinecrest-Queensway has assumed responsibility for the pantries at Morrison Gardens and Britannia Woods. They are providing a full-time paid coordinator and helpers. This has eliminated the requirements for volunteer assistance, including the Monday activities around meeting the Food Bank Truck and unloading and sorting of items that had been done by members of Woodroffe United for many years.
The Food Bank has also been filling their requirement for food, so extra monetary help for these two pantries is currently not needed.
The coordinator at Foster Farm still welcomes our donations and has been using them to supplement the Food Bank deliveries by purchasing extra items at Metro.
Outreach will be directing the budgeted money for Britannia Woods and Morrison Gardens directly to The Ottawa Food Bank over the summer and will revisit the situation again in September. Outreach will continue to provide the budgeted support to Foster Farm during this period.
Your Outreach dollars continue to support the local community.
2) Pathways to Education:
The coordinators of Pathways expect their program to resume in September and would very much like us to continue to support the incoming Grade 9 students with school supplies. The students will need supplies, regardless of the method of delivery of their academic program in the fall.
For many years you have bought school supplies for the high school students in the Pathways to Education Program in this area. This year, we are organizing this collection differently. We request that you do not buy these items but that you donate the money you would have spent on school supplies to the church and some committee members will buy them. Donations (identified as being for school supplies) can be sent by mail or dropped in the secure mailbox at the front entrance to the Church. Outreach will buy backpacks and supplies out of the money you donate.
Please write "school supplies" on your cheque or envelope. Thank you for your support, which means so much to these students and their families.
Access to Church Building
Lastly, the Russian Daycare will be reopening on Monday, June 22 in WUC. In order to maintain social distancing and safe practices, you are asked to call the church office to make an appointment to come into the building. The office will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (closed for lunch from noon to 1:00) Monday to Friday. Your call will ensure that someone is available to open the door for you (doors remain locked to the public) and that safe measures are maintained for all who are in the building.
Rev. Kathryn will still be working from home and can be reached by phone or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The church is deferring the start of in-person Sunday worship services until September, at which time the situation with COVID-19 will be reviewed. We want to keep everyone healthy and safe.
Blessings all,
Kathryn
