There will be no taking it easy this Summer for the Mission Committee! We have a lot to do in the upcoming months ---

Starting July 4th, we will be using the "mitten trees" to collect care package items for our military men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq. Using the same idea as our Christmas Mitten Trees, the trees will be decked out in red, white and blue ornaments, just waiting for our congregation to pick them clean and return with donations for our soldiers. We hope you will support our efforts to show our brave military men and women how much they mean to us!!

The Committee will again be collecting money for the Rutherford Food Pantry in lieu of a July food drive. We'll be at the doors every Sunday in July to accept donations and will use the funds collected to shop for the Pantry. Last year's July collection went a long way toward filling the shelves, which in recent months have been quite bare.

Reminder: There are Food Pantry collection baskets at all of the church entrances. You can bring donations of food, cleaning or toiletry items to church with you on Sundays and leave them in any of the baskets. The Committee delivers once a week to the Pantry. Please see the list of needed (and not needed) items which follows.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 7th, when the Committee will be conducting its annual Back-To-School Supplies Drive, also to benefit the families who use the Rutherford Food Pantry. We hope you will stop by between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. at our usual spot on East Passaic Ave. This will also be a "drive-by" -- All you need to do is honk and we'll come running. We hope to see all of you on Saturday August 7th, with a bag filled with the things these kids will need to go back to school prepared to learn! Food, toiletry and cleaning items or cash donations will also be gladly accepted.

Monday, August 16th, the Committee will be serving dinner at the Family Promise (formerly IRF) Shelter in Hackensack. This will be a summer BBQ menu of hot dogs, salads and strawberry shortcake, all of which can be purchased with committee funds, so we won't need cooks and bakers. We WILL need lots of help to prepare, serve and clean up. Please keep the date in mind, and see Pat Yenkosky if you can help.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 25th. That's the Townwide Garage Sale, and the 2nd annual Garage-Sale Fundraiser for the Mission Committee!! We will again rent spots on the church lawn and we will have tables if you need them. The sign-up sheets will be available starting in August. You can't beat our location, and last year the lawn was crowded with shoppers all day. It was a busy day, but fun and profitable as well! We hope you'll consider taking a table at the sale to unload some of that stuff you don't need or want anymore - Remember, one man's junk is another man's treasure!!

Pat Yenkosky
Committee Chair