ANN

The First Congregational Church In Bloomfield

Bloomfield, Connecticut

United Church of Christ

Text Box: Thanksgiving Basket Program: Thank you to all who participated in the Thanksgiving Holiday Basket Program. It was a tremendous success this year! Our congregation really stepped to the plate and donated lots of food – more this year than in previous years – which meant no one had to spend Sunday afternoon shopping for missing items. The Sunday School kids were a huge help in preparing our paper turkeys and in sorting and counting the food. On Monday morning, an enthusiastic group of volunteers helped pack the boxes (donated by Cigna) with food donations, turkeys from Stop & Shop, and fresh produce from Wades. Camilla Jones from Bloomfield Social Services was most appreciative of our efforts, as were the families who received the boxes. Horace Bushnell Children’s Food Pantry: In addition to helping 51 families in Bloomfield, extra food items and $200 were given to this Hartford food pantry, which reaches out to some of the poorest families in the North end of Hartford. We are hoping to maintain a relationship with Brother Bob Williams from Liberty Christian Church, who oversees this food pantry, and to support the efforts of the food pantry year round. Crafts for Charity: John and Vicky Casner participated in a Craft Fair at Old St. Andrews Church in early December. They raised $1900.00 through the sale of their

Text Box: handmade crafts. Most of this money was donated to the Village Poultry Project in Togo. Covenant to Care for Children: Thanks to all who participated in purchasing Christmas gifts for our Covenant to Care children in Hartford, some of whom are refugee children from countries in northern Africa. For many of these children, our gifts were the only ones they had to open on Christmas morning. Ronnie Tate, our Social Worker who oversees the Teen Parenting Program in Hartford, was very grateful for our support as were her clients. If anyone has any interest in helping tutor any Refugee children, please contact Judi Bunker at 242-6192 or Betsy Reed at 242-6591. Habitat for Humanity: New building dates being considered for Summer 2008. Christmas Eve Luminaries 2007