Little Mom Stop, Updates from Camp Atterbury, Fall Eco-Camp & More!
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WEDNESDAY WORDS
FROM METRO MINISTRIES, INC.
September 15, 2021
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Little Mom Stop at St. Andrew UMC
Last week St. Andrew UMC welcomed The Little Timmy Project's Little Mom Stop to their parking lot. On Wednesday, Little Timmy Project volunteers were onsite to hand out diapers, wipes and community resource information to moms from the community.
Members of St. Andrew UMC's Missions team were on hand to greet the women and families that came by, giving them care packages, each containing a stress ball, toiletries, a chocolate treat and information about the church. The women were invited to complete a survey about a potential support group for moms of young children. 9 surveys were completed, most expressing interest in attending a support group. St. Andrew's Missions team is excited to be moving forward with the planning phase of this new and bold initiative. Stay tuned for updates!
The Little Timmy Project is a local nonprofit organization that provides support, collaborative efforts and advocacy for birthing persons in the community. Their goal is to promote positive pregnancy outcomes while addressing the maternal and infant health crisis in Indiana. The Little Mop Stop is their new program where the mobile unit is parked in a participating church's parking lot for 1-2 weeks to raise awareness, then have specified hours when volunteers are on hand to distribute supplies. They hope to also have a healthcare provider on hand to check women's heart rate and blood pressure. Watch for The Little Mom stop in your community!
Visit littletimmy.org for more information. They are seeking volunteers in a number of capacities. Complete the Volunteer Form to sign up with this growing organization and help work toward better health outcomes for central Indiana mothers and their babies
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Updates from Camp Atterbury
As of today, there are approximately 6,600 guests at Camp Atterbury, having arrived over the course of the last fourteen days after fleeing Afghanistan with multiple vetting stops along the way. Half of these individuals are under the age of 19, with 1,000 children between the ages and 1 and 4. The total number of individuals is tracking towards 7,500, with capacity at Camp Atterbury for up to 10,000 people.
Since last week, there has been an outpouring across Central Indiana and throughout the state of offers to volunteer, to donate funds and purchase needed items. Churches, schools, businesses and individuals are all stepping up, doing what they can to show Hoosier hospitality to our new neighbors.
Last Thursday, four Central District churches agreed to be collection sites for a collection drive that ends this Sunday. Donations can be dropped off at one of these locations that will then be delivered to a warehouse managed by Team Rubicon. Please reach out to the relevant church contact for days and times to drop off donations.
St. Luke’s UMC- Indianapolis Contact: Pastor Nicole Caldwell-Gross nicole.caldwellgross@stlukesumc.com
Mount Auburn UMC- Greenwood Contact: Rev. Jeff Buck jeffb@mtauburnumc.org (mobile) 317.777.1406
Edinburgh UMC Contact: Pastor Jason Hyer jason.hyer@inumc.org (mobile) 812.343.9628
Items collected at the above locations will be delivered to the Team Rubicon warehouse, at 5921 School House Rd, Edinburgh, IN 46124 Bldg 3022.
Please note that all donated items must be NEW. Donations of used items will not be allowed within Camp Atterbury.
As of the time of writing, the most needed items are as follows:
Men's t-shirts, short or long sleeves, sizes S - L
Women's long sleeve t-shirts, sizes S - M
Men's and women's sweat pants
Children's Shoes
Feminine napkins
Diapers, all sizes
Wipes
Please avoid branding on clothing items if possible. An Amazon wish listhas been created for the most needed clothing items for men, women, infants and children. Purchasing from the wish list will have items shipped directly to Team Rubicon's warehouse. To reduce the amount of sorting required, consider purchasing multiple quantities of one or two of the most needed items.
A full list of items that will be needed once families begin re-settling, along with Team Rubicon information, is HERE.
Please keep in mind that the highest needs continue to change. Metro Ministries will send a separate message if there are materials changes in needs, volunteers or process guidelines.
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You Could Save a Life
You may think you can't do anything to prevent suicide. You may think that only trained professionals can or should intervene. You may have no idea how you would broach the subject with someone you are worried about. You may be afraid a friend or family member may get mad at you if you ask them if they are considering suicide. I get it, these are valid concerns. The flipside of these concerns is, what if you save someone's life by asking a question?
QPR - Question, Persuade, Refer Gatekeeper Training is an evidence-based model that equips individuals with a simple toolkit to help prevent suicide. Anyone can learn these few simple strategies that could literally save someone's life someday, a friend, a family member, a co-worker, a church member, a neighbor or a stranger.
In support of Suicide Prevention Month, I encourage you to attend one of these in-person sessions.
Registration is free for either workshop, but registration is required. Attendance will be capped, so sign up in advance!
Click on the desired location and date above to register.
The workshop instructor will walk through straightforward strategies for engaging with someone who may be contemplating suicide and getting that individual intensive help if needed. Current data on state and national suicide numbers will also be provided.
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Fall Break Eco-Camp
Do you know any 6th - 8th grade youth who would benefit from an outdoor STEM education and nature exploration experience during Fall Break? STRIVE Worldwide is facilitating such an experience October 11 - 15 on the grounds of the Greenspace at Union Chapel UMC.
This is a NO-COST experience. Please share this registration information with parents and caregivers who may be interested. Details and registration link available HERE.
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Mondays in October: "What's Justice Got to Do With It?" 4-week Bible study by INUMC Diversity, Mission and Justice Ministries, 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Registration is required.
Oct. 2: St. Luke's UMC's Truck Town, 3 - 5 pm
Oct. 8: Fletcher Place Community Center's Fletcher Fun Friday, 7- 9 pm. Details to come.
Oct. 9: Grace UMC hosts SHINE Women's Retreat, 9 am - 4 pm. This event is a fundraiser for Johnson County Senior Services. Email ksmith@jcseniorservices.org to register.
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Other Volunteer Opportunities
Fletcher Place CC's Community Garden's last Garden Distribution is this Saturday, 9/18. Volunteers are needed Jobs include harvesting, pulling weeds, and manning the vegetable stand. Contact Beth Opell at beth.opell@gmail.com to sign up.
NeighborLink Indianapolis has opportunities to help low income individuals with disabilities and senior homeowners in Marion County with household repair and maintenance. Painting, yard cleanup and handy projects are available. Details and volunteer registration can be found HERE.
If you know of other resources we should share, please let us know by emailing Tina McAninch at metrodirector1923@gmail.com.
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FOOD RESOURCES
Community Compass
Community Compass is a tool created by Indy Hunger Network and has two key ways to connect individuals with food resources near them. The first is an app for smart phones that automatically provides food resources based on where the individual is. The second is the ability to text for food resources if an individual does not have a smart phone. Check out details of Community Compass. This very valuable tool now works in the donut counties as well as Marion County!
Listing of Central Indiana Food Pantries
We have updated the format of the food pantry list, making it easier to view when printed. You can download the updated listingHERE or from Metro's website's Resources Hub. Please let us know if you have food resources to add or update. We will make updates to this list on a quarterly basis.
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