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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe still do between 60 and 70 food boxes each year, but we have supplied presents to as many as 139 children in a year. The school lets us know what\u2019s needed most, and we buy that. We give each child under 18 in the family an outfit, a pair of shoes, and toys,\u201d said Neill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s possible thanks to the church\u2019s mission, the dedication of its congregation, and partnerships with other churches and organizations. Members choose an angel, purchase the gifts, and bring them to the church, where they\u2019re organized and packaged for delivery. No angel is left out, thanks to a partnership with the Salvation Army. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve passed a bell-ringing volunteer outside Shelbyville\u2019s Walmart and dropped a donation into their red kettle in recent years, then you\u2019ve contributed to making a difference at Christmas in the life of a local child. Donations fund the SOC Christmas Outreach Program, reaching beyond the limits of the church\u2019s budget and the members\u2019 additional contributions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI receive some donations, too. People will give me $50-100 and say they don\u2019t have time to shop, which goes toward it. When you read the stories about the kids, you kind of know what they need [and] what they want. We always get bicycles if they want a bicycle,\u201d Neill said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of work to get it all together, but when it goes out the door, you know those kids are going to have a good Christmas morning, and it\u2019s all worth it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it\u2019s more than a Christmas and Thanksgiving project \u2014 they serve the community year-round through multiple programs. Their monthly food giveaway, the Wheel Community Food Pantry, opens its doors the last Friday of each month from 1-6 p.m. to anyone struggling to make ends meet, and they partner with Whitney Kratz and Clothe Our Kids to provide backpacks and clothing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The need is great and growing every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not just adults. When a family is homeless, everybody\u2019s homeless, including the children. There are a lot of reasons someone may become homeless or go broke. It\u2019s not just because they don\u2019t want to work; sometimes you can\u2019t. Sometimes, you lose your job. There\u2019s all kinds of reasons,\u201d said Neill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But helping one home at a time and one person at a time, even the homeless, greatly improves their quality of life and blesses all who give their time and resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She said, \u201cWe just want to help as many people as we can to have a better life, especially the children. If we can touch a child\u2019s life by showing them that somebody in their childhood cared to make sure they had clean clothes to wear to school and a meal on the table, then maybe that child will grow up and break the pattern.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a way for everyone to get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neill said, \u201cA lot of people want to help, but they just don\u2019t know how. And that\u2019s true of churches as well. They have the assets, but they don\u2019t have anybody there to pioneer a program or do these things that will help the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any church, organization, and individual is welcome to contribute to the SOC Outreach Programs. While financial contributions are always needed, volunteers to work the food giveaway and ring the bell during the holiday season are priceless contributions. And you are welcome to any of the services or Bible studies at SOC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ultimate goal of the church is simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not so much a program for us; it\u2019s a way of life. We\u2019re a giving and praying church. It\u2019s just who we are,\u201d said Neill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be a part of the reason a child isn\u2019t hungry tonight or without a Christmas this December. Partner with SOC and change our community, one life at a time. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" EVERYONE IS gathered around the table spread with seasonal and family favorites near the glow of a fir tree stuffed with shiny ornaments and overflowing with presents. With a soundtrack of old favorites and lively conversation, it\u2019s the ideal Christmas portrayed in bombarding advertisements and holiday movies. But for many area residents, it\u2019s only a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":21102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/shelbyville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/3-3-1024x683.png\")
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