All Hands on Deck!

Wow! It's like the perfect storm and we are calling for "All Hands on Deck" at Forever Fed!

The month of April is like every other month. It has a certain number of days to get a specific amount of work done. However, the first two weeks of April brings exciting challenges to our Forever Fed schedule!

Cherokee County Schools has spring break next week and Forever Fed is providing sack lunches to one neighborhood that is home to families experiencing food instability. When these kids are out on spring break their families struggle to provide adequate nutrition for their children who would normally be eating subsidized meals at school.

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the children of Northwoods will be entertained by Liberty Hill Church's Children's Ministry with some fantastic out door games and then Forever Fed will be distributing sack lunches that contain enough food for 2 meals.  

This Spring Break Blitz falls right in the middle of what is normally a very busy few weeks. We estimate that by April 12th we will serve more than 1000 meals. Yes, that's over 1000 meals in 9 days! Now a thousand meals sounds like a very big number but when you have many hands it makes for light work! 

Keep in mind that any time we serve Jesus by serving others, it's a form of worship! How cool is that? 

So I offer the following list of dates not only as a listing of opportunities for you to serve, it's also a list of opportunities for you to worship a risen Lord, the King of Kings during the season of Lent! 

Jump on Board and set sail with us by clicking on the volunteer tab to let us know when you can serve, we'll be contacting you with details ASAP! We are very excited about the course that has been set for us in the next few weeks and we look forward to our sails being filled with servant hearts and abundant joy!

 

Sunday, April 3rd Breakfast at Northwoods Apartments--We need 4 volunteers to serve breakfast, volunteers should arrive at 9 AM and will be finished by 10:30, just in time to head to Church!

 

Monday, April 4th, Wednesday April 6th, Friday April 8th,  Spring Break Blitz--We need sandwich makers/lunch distributers--4 volunteers are needed on Mon., Wed., and Fri. each day to arrive at Liberty Hill Church in Canton by 10:15 to assist with assembling 200 sandwiches. We also need 4 volunteers to assist at Northwoods Apartments to distribute the lunches at noon.

 

Friday, April 8th, we need 4 volunteers to assist with flyer distribution in the Scott Mill Neighborhood from 1:30-2:30 PM. Volunteers should meet Susan in the Habitat Re-Store Parking Lot in spaces closest to the street...we divide into two teams and place flyers on mailboxes. This could take less than one hour with 4-6 volunteers.

 

Saturday, April 8th from 12-3 We're preparing our Saturday Night Meal at Hillside Church. We need 4 volunteers willing to prepare the food (Clean and cut vegetables, carve meat, etc) as well as some handy dish washers. This usually takes us about 2-2 1/2 hours and it's fun! Please no children under 16 years of age.

 

Saturday, April 8th, 5:30-8PM We're hosting a Block Party at the Scott Mill Chapel on Scott Mill Road in Canton. Set up begins at 5:30 and clean up is usually finished by 8:15. We're serving a tasty meal to 150 guests and we need about 10 volunteers to assist with set up, serving food, dish washing, and break down.

 

Tuesday, April 12th 12 PM-3 PM We're preparing a birthday meal for the 250 kids and volunteers at Kid's Bible Club in Woodstock. We need 4 volunteers to arrive at Hillside Church at 12 PM to assist with food preparation and dish washing.

 

Tuesday April 12th 6PM-8PM We're serving a yummy birthday meal to the 250 kids and volunteers at Kid's Bible Club in Woodstock. This event requires 20 volunteers! Two volunteers serve the meal in each of the 8 classrooms and the others assist with food distribution, dish washing, and many other tasks! This is a very fun evening with high energy and much laughter!  

So there you have it! Over 1000 meals in 9 days and we need you! Forever Fed is a mobile food ministry committed to feeding the hungry in North Georgia and we could not exist without our faithful volunteers. We are honored to work along side each and every one of you in serving our community. We are a family friendly ministry and welcome servant hearts of all ages. 

Glory Days, God Has it All!

A First for Forever Fed!

On Sunday, March 20th, Forever Fed served breakfast to Northwoods Apartments just like we always do but this meal was a real milestone for us. Why? Because every bit of the food we served was donated product right down to the grocery bags that our guests used to carry thier meals home.

Last Thursday I received a note from SERV ministries stating they had bread and pastry items that had been donated to them and, in turn, SERV asked if Forever Fed wished to utilize/distribute those products to our community!

So with the help of the Dillon's truck and the Elkin's SUV we transported hundreds of pounds of donated bread, cupcakes, doughnuts, twinkies, pies, and other pastry items to two event locations.

The majority of the donation was delivered to First Baptist Church Woodstock's new Cherokee County Shelter on HWY 140 for distribution during thier free medical clinic held on Saturday the 19th.

The remaining pastries were distributed at our bi-monthly breakfast at Northwoods Apartments. Those pastries were combined with fruit cups, juice boxes, and other groceries that had been donated to Forever Fed and stored on our shelves at Liberty Hill Church. I wish you could see the faces of the guests as they perused the donated items...it was like watching kids in a candy store!

Long story short...(Too late for that) We'd like to extend a special "thank you" to everyone who has ever donated a juice box, a cracker, a grocery bag, or any item to Forever Fed. We are truly doing our best to be good stewards of every gift we're given and you can rest assured that the recipients of your donations are truly thankful.

God continues to show Forever Fed  that a community of caring individuals truly CAN meet the needs of thier neighbors and we are so very honored to be the avenue you trust to distribute your love.

Thanks Everyone!

Susan V.

What's Happening?

In an effort to keep everyone up to date on our schedule, here is a list of volunteer opportunities for the remainder of the Month of March with Forever Fed!

• Friday, March 11th, 9am We're passing out flyers to the Scott Mill Neighborhood in downtown Canton! Volunteers meet in the parking lot of the Habitat Re-Store in Canton and then distribute flyers around town. This takes about one hour and it's actually pretty fun. Anytime you combine coffee, laughter, tape, and paper flyers it's a win-win situation!
• Saturday, March 12th, 12 PM- 3 PM we're making a meal to serve 150 people on Saturday evening. We meet at Hillside UMC in Woodstock at 12 PM and begin our food prepping fun! We are always looking for choppers, cookers, and dish washers as many hands make light work! Call Susan at 770-329-2081 for more instructions if you'd like to help or click on our volunteer tab to leave us your info and we'll contact you!
• Saturday, March 12th, 5 PM - 7 PM We're serving a delicious meal to the Scott Mill Neighborhood in Canton. We start set up at 4:15 PM, serve dinner at 5 PM, start cleaning up and packing up at 6:30 and by 7:15 PM we are usually on the road home! This is a great block party type setting in the parking lot of Canton Adventist Church. http://canton27.adventistchurchconnect.org/index.php and it's a ton of fun! Click on the volunteer tab and shoot us a note if you'd like to volunteer!
• Tuesday, March 15th 12 PM - 3 PM Forever Fed is working with Breaking Bread Ministries of Hillside Church to prep 250 sack dinners for the children and volunteers attending Kid's Bible Club on Tuesday night. If you'd like to assist with this meal prep please give Susan a call at 770-329-2081 or click on the volunteer tab.
• Tuesday, March 15th 6PM-7:30 Forever Fed partners with Breaking Bread Ministries of Hillside Church in serving 250 sack dinners to the kids and volunteers of Kid's Bible Club in Woodstock at Crossroads Church. Because we are serving a large number of children we need to know in advance if you will be helping with this event. Please click on the volunteer tab and let us know you are coming!
• Saturday, March 19th, 9 AM We're serving breakfast at the new Homeless Shelter on HWY 140. This is the first day of thier free medical clinic held by Woodstock First Baptist. We're expecting 200+ guests! If you would like to assist with this event please visit the volunteer tab and let us know, we'll contact you with more details!
• Sunday, March 20th 9 AM -10:30 We're serving breakfast to the @ 75 residents of Northwoods Apartments in Canton. We arrive at 9 AM for set up, serve from 9:30-10:30 and then we pack up quickly and attend Church! We'd love to have your help just let us know you are coming by clicking on the volunteer tab!
• Sunday, March 27th 3 PM We're loving on the ladies of Iglesia Emmanuel in Canton GA. Iglesia Emmanuel reaches out to the women of Canton/Waleska community and Forever Fed provides a tasty meal for them to enjoy and fellowship together. Click on the volunteer tab and let us know if you'd like to help!
• Monday, March 28th 6 PM-7PM We're providing a meal for the mothers and children attending Kid's Bible Club outreach at Hearthstone Apartments in Canton. (This is the Cherokee County Family Violence Center facility for families fleeing from domestic violence). This event requires a few extra "details" because of the setting and we require all volunteers to sign up through the website. If you'd like to assist with this event please click on the volunteer tab and let us know you wish to take part and we'll contact you with details!

What is a Leap of Faith?

Each morning I drive my daughter to school and each morning our large dog Sparky insists on riding with us. We've a small dog named Rosie as well but she is 14 years old and as of last year she was no longer able to jump into the car. It was then I decided she should not be taking pleasure rides in the car because she is just too old.  

Yesterday morning my daugther and I went to get into the car and little old Rosie followed us out to the garage. Rosie can barely see through her cataracts and she is almost completely deaf. But yesterday morning Rosie looked at the open door of my car and then looked at me and she decided she'd give it one more try. 

I knew Rosie could not see the exact place she would land on the floor board of my Honda CRV but she actually got enough gumption up to just leap in the car and trust that she would land safely inside. 

Rosie blindly took a true leap of faith yesterday morning because she desired a ride in my car more than her safety. She just lept and trusted.

So what is it that hold's us back and keeps us from taking our blind leap of faith?

After watching Rosie yesterday, I think it's very simple. We've got to desire the unknown journey MORE than the same old risk free journey we travel. 

"A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.' Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!' Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.' " (John 20:26-29NIV)

Why are you a Forever Fed Volunteer?

Susan asked Paul Henderson, longtime volunteer from Canton Adventist Church, why he is a Forever Fed Volunteer.