Faith and Spiritual Life: Good Works

Published 10:54 pm Friday, July 4, 2008

Everett church receives $1,500 Fred Meyer grant

An Everett church now has one more reason to celebrate its free meals program.

For five years, volunteers from Everett First Presbyterian Church have been providing a weekly meal for low-income and homeless people in Everett through the “Dinner at the Bell” program.

The church recently received a $1,500 community grant from The Fred Meyer Fund to help purchase new tables and carts for the program.

A 29-member advisory committee made up of local Fred Meyer associates from 129 stores selected Everett First Presbyterian’s “Dinner at the Bell” program for the award.

Committee members research nonprofit organizations in their communities and then recommend them for the grants. The grants are funded by donations from Fred Meyer associates and customer donations in the “Make Change Count” coin boxes at Fred Meyer check stands.

The advisory committee allocates the community grants in the four western states where Fred Meyer operates.

In 2007, the Fred Meyer Fund awarded $1.7 million in grants.

Volunteers serve meals to 1,400 at City Fest

A stretch of good weather helped a church show God’s love to a north Everett neighborhood.

Organizers estimate roughly 1,420 people came to Everett’s first City Fest, based on the number of meals they served.

Roughly 220 volunteers from New Life Center Foursquare Church in Everett recently converged on Hawthorne Elementary School’s ball field at 12th Street and Poplar in Everett to provide a host of services, games and contests.

According to Rick Sawczuk, missions pastor at New Life and the event’s organizer, volunteers rocked 10 babies, made 137 balloons, repaired 37 bicycles, checked blood pressure 117 times, painted 289 faces, took 300 family portraits, provided 45 haircuts, took 250 kids photos, served 1,348 meals, provided nail painting for 86 people and gave away 460 plants and 375 snow cones, along with many bags of groceries.