Word of Life expanding outreach

Oct. 8, 2019

By Kristena Schutt-Moore

A lot of people know that the Word of Life Outreach Church located at 2016 Hwy 127 in Lake St. Peter has its own thrift store in the basement. But, how many people know that the funds raised from the sale of the second-hand items go towards stocking the shelves and upkeep of the community food bank the church hosts?
While there are donations made to the food bank, much of the food items are ordered and purchased with funds raised at the thrift store. The store sells gently used second-hand items, from clothes and accessories to kitchen appliances and furniture. Often when a tragedy happens in the community, such as a fire or flood, the church searches its collection and offers items to a family in need.
The food bank serves the community members of Maynooth, Maple Leaf, Combermere, Madawaska and Whitney. However in emergency situations exceptions are made and they do work with other community food banks to help ensure that community needs are met. 
Currently the food bank volunteers are creating Thanksgiving turkey baskets and to help raise awareness about the thrift store and the food bank, they will also be hosting turkey draws. Those that stop by to check out the thrift store are able to put their name in a draw for a turkey. The hope is that those coming to the store will help spread the work that the church is doing, bring in more volunteers and help the church help more people in need.
One of the other ways they are looking at expanding is bringing back the monthly Thursday loonie lunches over the winter months. But this time they also hope to make the lunches deliverable so that those that can't leave their home due to health or physical limitations can still participate in the community event and get a healthy hot lunch.  
Those interested in more information about the Word of Life Outreach Church and its programs are invited to stop by the thrift store every Tuesday to Saturday or call 613-338-2121.