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Disaster Response
EARLY RESPONSE TEAM
Our Early Response Team (ERT) is a team of trained Servant Volunteers by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).
This team is deployed with specific needs after a disaster: cleaning out flood-damaged homes, removing debris, placing tarps on homes, and other tasks, while providing a caring Christian presence. Participants learn the basics of disaster response, including how to stabilize and secure homes safely, and how to work effectively with survivors and others on the response team.
Neighborhood Outreach
MONTHLY MOBILE FOOD PANTRIES
We host two monthly mobile food pantries per month: one on the first Thursday of every month at Celebration United Methodist Church, and the second Thursday of every month in the Majestic Oaks Apartment complex. This ongoing mission provides fresh meat, produce, and bakery items to families in need.
If you're interested in serving, contact Kelly Ping.
BAGS OF GRACE
Bags of Grace is our tangible ministry of love to make a small difference to homeless folks in our community. Specifically, it is a bag of toiletries and other basic necessities to keep in your car and hand out as you see fit. These bags are available in the Welcome Center on Sundays between services and at the Education Building during business hours.
FAMILY PROMISE
Family Promise is a nonprofit organization created to provide shelter and comprehensive support to homeless families with children. Four times a year for one week, we provide dinners to the families receiving shelter services from Family Promise.
Please let us know if you are interested in providing one of these meals. Contact: Kelly Ping.
FOOD4KIDS DELIVERY
Food4Kids is a non-profit in Gainesville, FL whose mission is to identify chronically hungry children throughout the community and provide them with food and vital resources on a regular basis.
We support this organization by delivering food to area Elementary schools and food sorting events and opportunities.
If you're interested in serving, contact Kelly Ping.
THANKSGIVING BASKETS
For over 19 years, Trinity United Methodist Church - through community agencies - has supported more than 12,000 families in our annual Mission drive we call the “Thanksgiving Basket” food drive.
The Food Drive begins October 27, 2024! We’re collecting: Canned corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, mac n’ cheese, gravy packets, brownie mix, frozen turkeys, and $15 gift cards.
Our ‘Packing Party’ is November 20, 2024 at 5:30 pm!
Our 2023 Thanksgiving Basket food drive gave 1,174 families - totaling 4,353 individuals - a Thanksgiving meal this year from the generosity of our church family and community supporters.
CARE PORTAL
Want to help families in our community? Trinity is working with Partnership for Strong Families with a site called CarePortal to help notify community members who may be able to assist those in need (for example: a washing machine or bike for transportation). When you sign up, you are simply opting in to get email notifications of a true need that has been determined by an agency case manager. There is no obligation. Here is a short video explaining how CarePortal works.
BLUE BIN DONATION DRIVES
Every month we are collecting supplies and items needed by an organization in our community to help others.
You can find this month's information in the Tuesday Word, Sunday Bulletin, and on the bins themselves.
We respectfully ask that you only donate the items that we are specifically collecting.
Supporting Youth in Gainesville
SMILE MENTORING PROGRAM
Our SMILE mentoring program utilizes prevention and intervention techniques to support youth in Gainesville through key school partnerships and programs that help students achieve regardless of their zip code. It also increases resources available to support sustainable community development and empowerment initiatives.
Do you have 30 minutes once a week to create a unique bond with a student? There are many days and times available to fit into ANYONE’S schedule including breakfast, lunch, or after school.
BLESSING OUR SCHOOLS
Throughout the year we support four schools in Alachua County (PACE Center for Girls, Stepping Stones Preschool, Talbot Elementary, and Rawlings Elementary) with expressions of gratitude for teachers and staff in the form of school supplies, gift cards, notes of encouragement, and more.
We’re always looking for folks to be our school liaison, to help coordinate back-to-school notecards, or drop goodies off to teachers and staff.
International Mission Trips
GUATEMALA: October 5 - 13
This trip will be part stove rebuild and part medical |
The cost is $1,900 | Led by Harvey Baxter
For the past 10 years Trinity has supported and sent teams to ODIM, the Organization for the Development of Indigenous Maya. ODIM operates medical and dental clinics in Guatemala as well as providing educational programs addressing childhood malnutrition, adolescent health, diabetes, safe stoves and safe drinking water. They focus not only on giving quality medical care but preventative health care as well, and address root causes of some of the health issues these communities face. ODIM is staffed predominantly by local Maya/Guatemala employees, mostly women.
For more information, contact Harvey Baxter (hb964@hotmail.com).