Dollar-a-week drive at Christ of the Hills UMC helps many
03-10-2009HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — For the past seven years, Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church has promoted “Dollar A Week Giving.” Parishoners are encouraged to give $1 each time they participate in worship, as a means of honoring God.
These single dollar bills are tallied and at year’s end a local charitable organization is selected as recipient. Local organizations are invited to submit funding proposals for a one-time project outside the regular budget.
Some previously funded projects have included supplying Jackson House in Hot Springs with a new kitchen, supplying Teen Challenge with heating and air conditioning and a new roof for the dormitory and buying a new van for the Arkansas Rice Depot to deliver food statewide.
In 2002, the first year of the program, a total of $10,000 was collected. The total has grown each year, and at the end of 2008, Christ of the Hills members were delighted to distribute a total of $25,000 to four different groups:
• Project HOPE Food Bank, Hot Springs. The new food bank serves persons on Hot Spring and Garland counties. Educational program also assist families in preparing and purchasing food, stretching budgets and learning other related life skills. A donation of $8,500 will be used to purchase of a forklift for the facility.
• B.A.R.B.S. Place, Hot Springs. A division of Quapaw House, B.A.R.,B.S. Place is a residential treatment center for pregnant and parenting women suffering from the disease of addiction. The facility includes a licensed child-care center that provides care to more than 100 infants and toddlers, many of whom come from low-income families. A gift of $8,500 will be used to purchase a commercial stove and dishwasher to improve the kitchen facilities.
• Charitable Christian Medical Clinic, Hot Springs. Serving those who can least afford the cost of a doctor’s appointment or a prescription and have no health insurance, Medicaid or Medicare, the clinic served more than 8,500 people last year. Licensed physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and many other professionals and volunteers donate their and expertise. A donation of $5,500 will be used to replace the computer server and supply new chairs in the waiting rooms.
• Methodist Outreach, Hot Springs. For more than 40 years, the Outreach has been assisting people and families in Garland County who are in need by providing food, clothing, shelter and other items. Proceeds from a volunteer-run thrift store benefit the program. In 2008 the Outreach program met the needs of 1,000 families, consisting of 1,200 individual adults and 1,400 children. A donation of $2,500 will go to purchase materials to construct work and storage areas and make racks to store and display donated items. In addition, a special Christmas Eve offering totaling $1,093 was donated to purchase food for their food bank.
