2009 – November

January – February - March – April – May – June – July – August – September - October – November – December-General & On-going

Winter weather sending low-income to find coats, gloves and more – If you have an extra coat, pairs of gloves, knit caps or other warm clothing, please consider sharing those with the poor and homeless. Donations can be brought to our “Voucher Store,” located with “The Clothesline” store at 1817 Franklin, or brought to the Mission Waco office, 1321 N. 15th.

Manna House Match Grant Funds needed – Giving to help the poor and marginalized is reason enough to motivate us! But when our generosity is doubled, now that’s fun! Manna House is Mission Waco’s alcohol/drug rehab home for low-income men. Cost of repairs to the 10-bed home will be around $20,000, but three Christian businessmen who lead weekly Bible studies there are willing to pay half of those costs if others will step up.  For more information contact Jimmy Dorrell by phone at 254-753-4900 or by email at jdorrell@missionwaco.org.

Computer Lab assistants needed at Christian Women’s Job Corps (CWJC). – Do you know more than the average person about Word, PowerPoint and Excel 2003? Are you patient? Are you willing to work with someone until she “gets it?” Can you commit to serve for a whole semester?  Are you available Monday through Thursday, 10:30 – 12:00? CWJC is looking for computer lab assistants to help women better their lives through learning these important computer skills. If this sounds like something that might interest you, please contact Fran by email at fran@cwjcwaco.org, to volunteer.

Keep up with the McLennan County Hunger Coalition on Facebook. Join the group: McLennan County Hunger Coalition.

Heart of Texas Homeless Coalition is now on Facebook.  Become a fan!

November through early December – “Gifts for Grannies and Grandpas Too” gift collection. Look for collection boxes at local businesses and schools or just bring your donations by Friends for Life, 5000 Lakewood. For a flyer with information and gift suggestions, click here: Gifts for Grannies and Grandpas flyer. For information call, Friends for Life, 772-7600 or email claire@friendsforlife.org.

 November – Order your Thanksgiving Day Deep Fried 12 lb Turkey by Friday Nov. 20th for delivery on either Tuesday Nov.24th or Wednesday, Nov. 25th. Homemade Apple or Pumpkin Pies also available. Turkeys are $35 each and Apple pies are $15 Pumpkin are $10 Order all three for a gift package of $55.00 All proceeds benefit the Legal Assistance Project of Lutheran Ministries and Social Services of Waco. Call 254-757-3401 to order. Payment may be made by check/money order/Visa or Mastercard, or cash on delivery.

Job opening at Planned Parenthood – Full time position as a Bilingual Clinical Assistant available. Requirements:• Any combination of education and experience equivalent to a high school diploma; additional education preferred, Customer service skills, Bilingual – Spanish/English (preferred) For a full job description including information about how to apply, click here: Bilingual Clinical Assistant job.

Now till November 29 – Become a toy collection site for Mission Waco Christmas Toy Store. We are looking for volunteers to put out a box (which we can provide!) to collect new, unwrapped toys in your site and ask church members, customers, employees and others to donate toys for children and youth by Thanksgiving weekend (though we will accept gifts after that!) We can provide some gift ideas for gifts if you want them! On Sunday morning, November 29, the “Riders of the Son” CMA club and other bikers will spend the morning picking up those toys at various churches and certain business locations that ask for them! (Usually there is a great time for Sunday School classes and others to meet these guys and let children sit on a Harley!) Once you commit to being a site, we will work with you on a designated time for that event. For more information or to volunteer call 254-753-4900 or email jbrammer@missionwaco.org .

November 6 & 7– Apple Tree Bazaar benefitting Meals on Wheels. Friday hours: 1 – 5:30, Saturday hours: 9 – 4. Heart of Texas Fair Complex, 4601 Bosque, General Exhibits Building. Featured wood artist will be Joel Crabbe of the Turnings Group. For a flyer, Click here: Apple Tree Bazaar. For more information call 254-752-0316.

November 6 & 7 – Panhandling survey in the Public Improvement District. Your help is needed. We will be performing a panhandling survey in the Public Improvement District on Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7. We are in need of volunteers to speak with local panhandlers and help us find out how they are in need. A training session with dinner will be provided. For more information, contact Chelle at chelles@ci.waco.tx.us  or call 254-750-5967.

November 6-8 – The Poverty Summit at Baylor University. Place: Bill Daniel Student Center. Cost: No cost to Baylor students and faculty, $21 for everyone unaffiliated with Baylor (this cost includes 3 meals and a Summit tshirt). The Poverty Summit aims to stimulate academic thought about poverty issues in Waco, the United States, and the international community. Through ongoing and open dialogue, the Summit provides a forum to: engage students and community members in meaningful thought about the issues surrounding poverty, raise awareness, and encourage action. For more information or to register, click here: www.baylor.edu/povertysummit , or contact Marianne Magjuka at 254-710-6938.

November 7 – Operation Christmas Child box distribution. Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Location: Chick-Fil-A on Franklin.  For more information, or to volunteer, contact Debbie Quarles by phone at 254-399-9201 or email at: emaildq@hotmail.com.

November 7 – Fall Farm Day at the World Hunger Farm – 9 am – 4 pm. Live music, Farm-fresh food, plants, seeds & Grass-Fed Meat Sales. Demonstrations by local artisans. Activities for children: Pony Rides, Hayrides, Animal Petting Area. Directions: From Waco, go north on I-35. Take Exit 342-B, turn left under the Interstate, and go right at the first turn (Spring Lake Road). We are 1/3 mile down on the right (356 Spring Lake Road). Featured speaker: WHRI alum, Jeremy Everett. He will inform us of his involvement directing the Texas Hunger Initiative, a new project to alleviate hunger in the state sponsored jointly by the Baylor School of Social Work’s Center for Family and Community Ministries (CFCM) and the Christian Life Commission. For questions, call 254-799-5611.

November 7 thru 21 – The Family Abuse Center’s online auction The VIEW (Virtual Internet Event of Waco) – The website is www.facview.com. Over a hundred items such as jewelry, balloon rides, golf and spa packages, children’s parties, etc. are available. Start your Christmas shopping early for fabulous gifts. For more information, contact Kitty Tunmire at 716-7650.

November 8 – Salvation Army 3rd Annual Family Fun Fest. Time: 11-1. Place: Indian Springs Park. There will be food, music, games for children and early registration for the Toys for Tots program. For more information contact Rosa Burks by email at: Rosa_Burks@uss.salvationarmy.org or by phone at: 254-756-7271.

November 12 - McLennan County Hunger Coalition (MCHC) meeting - 11:45-1:00, Caritas of Waco Conference Room, 300 S. 15th. A coalition of representatives of food pantries, feeding programs, governmental agencies, faith-based organizations, businesses, and interested individuals committed to solving the problems of food insecurity and hunger in the local area, the MCHC meets monthly, usually on the second Thursday of each month. Anyone who has an interest is welcom. For more information contact Esther Morales at 753-3545 or foodoutreach@grandecom.net.

November 12 – Waco Habitat Harvest Dinner . 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Lee Lockwood Texas Scottish Rite Library & Museum. All are invited to this annual “friend-raising” event. For more information or to RSVP contact Emily Fau, by phone at (254) 756-7575 or email at Emily@wacohabitat.org.

November 13 & 14 – Doulos International Fall Garage Sale. Place: 3505 Colcord, Waco, 76709. Funds raised will be used for homeless and abused children and to assist the refugees in Orissa, India whose homes have been burned out this past year by religious fanatics. Doulos is also looking for some Waco area opportunities to help needy children as well. To let us know of local opportunities, donate to the garage sale, to volunteer or for more information, contact us by email at: rxbarkley@yahoo.com  or by phone at: 254-855-9512.

November 14 – AVANCE Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser. Time: 9:00-10:30 a.m. Place: St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 305 N 30th St. Waco.  Cost: $3.50 (includes pancakes, bacon, eggs, juice or coffee). The AVANCE Parent/Child program is considered a pioneer program in the field of parent education. The program predominately serves low -income Latino families in underserved communities and focuses on parent education, early childhood development, brain development, literacy, and school readiness. Avance-Waco has assisted parents in their journey to become the first and most important teachers, advocates and positive role models for their children. To RSVP or for more information, please call (254) 296-0449 Sylvia Cash, Program Manager, at (254) 296-0449.

November 14 – Jubilee Music Festival- Time: 6 pm – 9:30 pm. Place: Jubilee Center (corner of N. 15th and Colcord). Cost: General Public – $10, students – $5. Four venues with popular, country, jazz, hip hop, and more, all on the corner of N. 15th and Colcord. Even if you go to the Baylor/UT game, head over to the fun and music. With the help of Grammy Winner Dick Gimble and McLennan Community Colleges’ commercial music department, Mission Waco will host an evening of fun and music. Tickets will be sold to allow attendees to wander to various venues to hear a variety of bands. The streets will be blocked from Colcord to West Ave to allow the festival atmosphere. To see the poster, click here: Festival Poster. For more information call 254-753-4900.

November 15 – 21 – National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Each year, one week before Thanksgiving, National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness co-sponsor National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. During this week, a number of schools, communities and cities take part in a nationwide effort to bring greater awareness to the problems of hunger and homelessness. To download information about how to get your school or community involved, click here: www.nationalhomeless.org/projects/awareness/awareness.html. For more information about what is going on in Waco, contact Chelle Samaniego by phone at: 254.750.5967 or by email at: ChelleS@ci.waco.tx.us .

The week before Thanksgiving – Free-range Turkeys/ Organic Pecans for Sale at the World Hunger Farm.  Directions: From Waco, go north on I-35. Take Exit 342-B, turn left under the Interstate, and go right at the first turn (Spring Lake Road). We are 1/3 mile down on the right (356 Spring Lake Road). For more information call 254-799-5611.

November 16 thru 21 – City of Waco/Waco Habitat Raise the Roof. Time: 8 – 5 each day. Place: 817 Carver. The community is invited to participate in the City of Waco “raise the roof” event with Waco Habitat. All skill levels needed. Lunch, snacks, beverages and free t-shirts will be provided to all volunteers. To download a sign-up sheet, click here: City of Waco Raise the Roof. For more information contact Shawna Bolen, by phone at 750-5676 or email at: ShawnaB@ci.waco.tx.us. Or you can fax your signup sheet to 750-5604, attn: Shawna Bolen.

November 17-24 — National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child. Highland Baptist Church, 3014 Maple, Waco. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse. Shoeboxes filled with items for children are delivered around the world. It is estimated that each box affects 10 people. The boxes are delivered to areas where there is a pastor or a missionary, so there is always follow-up for all children that receive boxes. Filled boxes may be delivered to Highland Baptist Church during collection week. For more information, or to volunteer, contact Debbie Quarles by phone at 254-399-9201 or email at: emaildq@hotmail.com.

Nov. 18-20 2009 – Second Annual Greater Waco Community Education Summit. Place: Waco Convention Center and Baylor Ferrell Center. Cost: $0 – $75 depending on which activities you attend. Summit activities will include: A Community Reception; a report on the results from McLennan County Early Childhood Qualitative And Quantitative Assessment sponsored by The Waco Foundation; and breakout sessions on a variety of pertinent topics including Early Childhood, Parents, Reading and Sustainability. Keynote speaker (Nov. 20, Baylor Ferrell Center) will be Dr. Donna Beegle, National Public Speaker, Author, and Poverty Communications Coach. She will speak on the subject of “Communication Across Barriers: “From High School Dropout to Doctorate.” For more information or to register, click here: www.educatewaco.com.

November 19 – Care Net Agency Appreciation “Sip and See.” Time – 2:00 – 5:00 pm. Place – 1818 Columbus. Care Net would like to recognize all agencies in our community who have supported Care Net by teaching a class or have come to speak to our clients about their services. Come and enjoy tea, coffee, cookies and pastries and take a tour of our new medical services office. Please RSVP by Friday, November 13th. For more information, contact Janie Martinez by e-mail at: Janie@carenetofcentraltexas.org  or by phone at: 254-772-8270.

November 19 (New Day!) - Giving Thanks Giving Hope Banquet benefiting Compassion Ministries. Time: 6:00 pm, Place: The Phoenix Ballroom, 401 S. 3rd street, Waco. Cost: $50 per person. All proceeds will benefit Compassion Ministries’ transitional housing for families with children and single women. Meal catered by The Outback Steakhouse.  For more information call (254) 755 – 7640.

November 20 – Dr. Donna Beegle lecture: “Practical Skills for Communication and Working with people in Poverty.” Time: 1:30 – 4:00. Place: Baylor Ferrell Center. Cost: No charge. Donna M. Beegle, Ed.D. is a national speaker and the author of “See Poverty, Be The Difference,” a resource book for professionals who work with people in poverty. Donna has worked and written articles providing insights and strategies for communicating more effectively across race, class, gender and generational barriers for 17 years. After growing up in generational migrant labor poverty, leaving school for marriage at 15, having two children and continuing to cope with poverty, at age 25 she found herself without a husband, little education and no job skills. What followed in 10 short years were: self-confidence, a G.E.D., an A.A. in Journalism, a B.A. (with honors) in Communications, a Master’s Degree in Communication with a minor in Gender Studies (with honors), and completion of a Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership. For more information or to register, click here: www.educatewaco.com.

November 20 – Thanksgiving Lunch for AVANCE families. Time: 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Place: St. Alban’s Church, 305 N 30th St., Waco. Cost: Donations accepted. The AVANCE Parent/Child program is considered a pioneer program in the field of parent education. The program predominately serves low -income Latino families in underserved communities and focuses on parent education, early childhood development, brain development, literacy, and school readiness. Avance-Waco has assisted parents in their journey to become the first and most important teachers, advocates and positive role models for their children. For more information or to inquire about volunteering or making donations, please call (254) 296-0449 Sylvia Cash, Program Manager, at (254) 296-0449.

November 20 – 2009 Food For Families food drive. Time: 6:00am – 8:00pm. Place: Various locations around town. For more information including a list of donation sites, click here: Food for Families.

November 20 – Heart of Texas Homeless Coalition Meeting. 11:45 AM. City of Waco Transit, 301 S. 8th St. No cost to attend. Join us to stay involved with what is going on in Central Texas to serve the homeless. Lunch will be provided.  At the meeting, we will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Food for Families Food Drive. They’ve requested pop-top microwaveable food/meals. Or any boxed food that is easily microwaveable. No refrigeration required. To RSVP for lunch, please call Chelle Samaniego at 254-750-5967 or send an email to ChelleS@ci.waco.tx.us.

November 21 – Central Texas Turkey Trot 5K run and 1 mile fun run/walk sponsored by Altrusa Club of the Brazos. Time: 7:30 – 12:30. Place: Top of the Park, Cameron Park, Northern Little League fields. Proceeds from the Turkey Trot help Altrusa support their service projects such as Rapoport Academy, Hope House, Gospel Café and Caritas Food Bank. For more information including information about cost and registration form, click here: Turkey Trot registration form.

November 21 – Baylor Steppin’ Out. More details coming soon.

November 21 – Operation Christmas Child box collection day. Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Location: Chick-Fil-A on Franklin. Receive a coupon good for a free Chik-Fil-A when you drop off your filled box.  For more information, or to volunteer, contact Debbie Quarles by phone at 254-399-9201 or email at: emaildq@hotmail.com.

November 26 – Friends for Thanksgiving. Time - 7:30 to 10:00 a.m. Place- 5000 Lakewood, Waco. Please come to Friends for Life on Thanksgiving morning to help package and deliver Thanksgiving meals to homebound elderly and people with disabilities. We package and deliver over 400 meals of turkey and dressing and sides. Bring your family and brighten someone’s Thanksgiving Day. You’ll be done before noon. For information call, Friends for Life, 772-7600 or email claire@friendsforlife.org.

November 26 –Thanksgiving Day Meal and Service With Homeless. Time: 11 a.m. Place: Meyer Center, 1226 Washington Ave., Waco. Around a hundred homeless men and women will join scores of local helpers in the Meyer Center for both thanksgiving and a meal. This year, an 11:00 “thanksgiving service” will be held upstairs in the old sanctuary prior to the traditional “turkey day” meal. Volunteers who want to help should contact Jimmy (jdorrell@missionwaco.org) to get on the list. Several opportunities will be offered this year. For more information contact Mission Waco at 254.753.4900.

November 26 – Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving Meal. Time: begins at 11 a.m. Place: I-35 location at 1225 S. Jack Kultgen Expwy. Waco.

November 27-28 –Storybook Christmas Days at Barnes and Noble – Education Service Center Region 12 and Barnes & Noble are partnering to sponsor a book fair that will benefit A Storybook Christmas which provides books to needy children ages pre-K through 5th grade in the McLennan County area. Present this voucher: Storybook Christmas Voucher at the check-out and a percentage of the net sales will be given to A Storybook Christmas. This offer applies to any purchase – books, magazines, food, or gifts (B&N memberships, textbooks, gift cards, and other select items are not included). If you find yourself in B&N on those dates and forgot to bring the voucher, just mention “A Storybook Christmas” at the register. The credit will still be applied. All of the monies received from this book fair will be used to buy new books for distribution throughout the area!

November 29 — Christmas Toy Run. Time: 8:30 am – 10:50 am. Place: Your church or place of business. “Riders of the Son” CMA club and other bikers will spend the morning picking up new, unwrapped toys to be donated to the Mission Waco Christmas Toy Store. Volunteer now to put out a box to collect toys and join in this fun event. Usually there is a great time for Sunday School classes and others to meet these guys and let children sit on a Harley! Once you commit to being a collection site, we will work with you on a designated time for that event. For more information or to volunteer call 254-753-4900 or email jbrammer@missionwaco.org.