Ministry Spheres at St. Columba’s
Outreach
Vestry Liaison:
Project Hope—Maurice Hill
Project Hope began in 1992 and has been sharing and caring every Tuesday since then. We give supplementary bags of food, produce and bread to low-income families. The work begins every other Tuesday morning with a Food Share truck delivering bulk food items from the warehouse in El Rio. Meanwhile back at church another crew puts out food from our food pantry and sets up about 150 bags that feed about 46 families which are then filled with items. The morning group also periodically unloads full trucks of goods that Food Share delivers. Then a group distributes the food to the families from 5:30 to 6:30pm every Tuesday. There is also work to keep our pantry neat and tidy.
Food Pantry—Maurice Hill
St. Columba’s Pantry is open to the community on the first, third and fifth Thursday of the month from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. During these Covid times, clients park in the parking lot and our workers bring out bags of groceries and place them in the car trunk. In early 2021, St. Columba’s received a Community Development Block Grant of $25K from the City of Camarillo and HUD to fund the pantry for about a year. We provide PPE and groceries to families (qualified seniors and low-income younger families, impacted by Covid). In addition to disposable surgical masks, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, paper towels, Kleenex, and toilet paper, we provide fresh veggies and fruit from a local produce stand (Santiago’s Produce in Ventura, Olivas Park Drive): fresh carrots, spinach, broccoli, zucchini, oranges, avocados, and strawberries.
About two dozen families participated in our most recent distribution in May (these families represent about 50 people). About half of these are families that participate in our Project Hope food program and are in need of additional groceries from the Pantry program; the other half are new families that have started to attend.
RAIN—
RAIN Communities, Inc. is the Ventura County transitional living center for homeless families and they provide a network of services for the homeless in our County. We provide gifts for the children and adults at the Shelter at Christmas time but they need help year round. In addition, although they are primarily supported by the County of Ventura, RAIN needs our donations.
A Bridge to Permanent Housing
Since 1997, the RAIN Transitional Living Center (RAIN) has provided housing and services to families and single adults in Ventura County, California, to help with the transition from homelessness to permanent housing.
Serving up to 70 people at a time in a home-like setting in Camarillo, RAIN provides nutritious meals; intensive case management services; employment assistance including transportation to work; life skills courses on topics such as money management, parenting, and relapse prevention; and privately-funded enrichment programs for children.
CAT
Christians Acting Together (CAT) is an ecumenical group of people in the community who provide aid to those in need. They run a thrift shop in old town Camarillo to raise funds.
Episcopal Relief & Development—
Boy Scout Troop 262— Carlos Barraza
The Parish has sponsored a Boy Scout troop for many years. It continues to do well and currently has a roster of 59 scouts and over 30 active adults. This is a very active troop. Throughout the year, the boys are active with outdoor activities including camping, rock climbing and deep-sea fishing. Children in the parish are welcome to become part of the troop.
CROP Walk—John Pearson
