With the weather changing, San Diego may feel warm during the day, but at night it is cold and blustery – especially for those who have to sleep without shelter. Community Christian Service Agency (CCSA) hopes to help keep individuals who are homeless, warm during the bitter nights this winter and CWS Blankets helps them help others. Founded in 1972, … Read More

The Greater Lansing CROP Hunger Walk included a hands-on activity of assembling CWS School Kits to the Walk Day activities. After going through registration, Walk participants were guided to a line of tables with boxes of school kit items. Each participant took a school bag and walked down the line adding school items to the bags as directed. A total … Read More

Snippet below was posted with author permissions and originally submitted by Karen Cernich through the Missourian online publication; full content available here. The words hanging over the doorway leading in and out of St. Peter’s United Church of Christ at the corner of Fifth and Market streets in Downtown Washington say it all: “Enter to Worship,” “Depart to Serve.” “That … Read More

On the first day of school each year, lots of parents post photos of their children wearing new clothes, sporting a new backpack and smiling for the camera. For some families living in poverty, though, buying school supplies for the first day of school can be a challenge. Franklinton is an urban neighborhood west of downtown Columbus, Ohio. According to … Read More

On the evening of Memorial Day, a group of 15 tornadoes touched down in western Ohio. Sweeping through with winds as powerful as 165 miles per hour, the tornadoes smashed homes, blowing out windows and peeling away roofs. They caused extensive damage in Trotwood, Harrison Township, Dayton, Beavercreek and Celina. Some of the heaviest damage happened in Trotwood, where the … Read More

The Brethren Disaster Ministries of the Southern Ohio District was formed in the early 1970’s by several Church of the Brethren congregations throughout western and southern Ohio.  This ministry was started with the understanding that natural disasters can destroy communities and devastate families in a matter of moments. The Brethren Disaster Ministries (BDM) works to help the most vulnerable survivors … Read More

Note: This post was originally published on the CWS blog. Nestled along the Appalachian Mountains, the Upper East Tennessee Human Development Agency is in the heart of poverty-ridden America. UETHDA serves Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties. Teams in each of the agency’s nine Neighborhood Service Centers work daily to help clients overcome the daily hardships … Read More

Note: This post was originally published on the CWS blog. The residents of southern California are accustomed to wildfires during the summer.  But this summer was different. The fires were more intense. A record-setting heat wave, coupled with moderate winds, sparked brush fires across southern California that destroyed homes and forced thousands to evacuate. Not knowing whether their homes would … Read More

Everyone – staff and clients — at Episcopal Community Health Services, known as ECHOS, in southwest Houston know it when they see it. Cathy Moore, ECHOS Director, and her staff know that people who come to ECHOS are trying to stabilize and improve their lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Even now, months after the storm, folks are rebuilding … Read More

Kentucky may be in the south, but that doesn’t prevent the state from experiencing extreme bouts of cold in the winter, particularly in the evenings when it frequently drops below freezing. This is particularly difficult for those who are experiencing homelessness. WestCare Kentucky Emergency Shelter in Pikeville is described by director Anna Coleman as Pikeville’s “…best kept secret” since many … Read More