Warming the Community: The December Dinner and a Movie Expanded Store
Article written by Caitlin McNeely
This December, we’re serving an extra helping of Christmas cheer to our neighbors at Dinner and a Movie by expanding our Hygiene Store.
On the third Tuesday of every month, FUMC hosts Dinner and a Movie, where we offer a free meal, entertainment, and hygiene items to our neighbors in need. Rev. Georgia Harrison oversees this outreach ministry, while I organize and set up the Hygiene Store every month. We both wanted this year’s December Dinner and a Movie to be special. We brainstormed different ways to do this, considering small gifts or a hot cocoa bar. More than anything, we wanted to be able to offer some tangible aid to help those who may be out in the cold this winter.
We turned to our guests for answers, providing a survey at September’s Dinner and a Movie to see what items would help them. The most requested items were socks, gloves, hats, blankets, long-sleeved shirts, and shoes. Armed with this information, I made an Amazon wishlist of these items to make it easier for church members to know what we need. Our Communications Director, Olivia Zamora began promoting the wishlist and our concept of an Expanded Store for Christmas. She put out a call for donations of new and gently used winter-wear.
Soon enough, our church members answered the call and donations began to flood in – and pile up in our conference room. Thought and planning had to be put in to where we could store the donations and how we could display them in the store. Brent Lamberth, our Youth Director, offered to step in with the youth for this task.
You see, throughout the last few years, his youth group has been involved in missional work in resale shops that provide aid to the homeless, much like our local Faith Resale. Since the youth have had experience sorting through and organizing clothing donations, they were interested in continuing that service here to help the unhoused and financially insecure in our own community. They began organizing the donations for us in mid-November.
As they sorted the donations, we found that we had ample socks and gloves, but are still low on shoes, jackets, and coats. I’ve updated our Amazon wishlist accordingly.
We are so thankful for how our church has rallied around this idea. This community outreach would not be possible without your support. Please know that we are still accepting donations. You can check out our wishlist for specific items we need or bring donations to the church office.
Depending on the amount of donations we get and the interest of volunteers, the expanded store might pop up again at some of the 2025 Dinner and a Movie events. So keep an out for more information in the months to come.