April-May 2022
Spring Greetings,
This miracle of a nest resides in my aunt's backyard some miles south in North Carolina. It conveys such a message of shelter, hope and promise of new beginnings. 
The color of these bluebird eggs makes me think of the Ukrainian flag.
As war rages and the pandemic follows its course, Easter comes.
Here, in the midst of worry and terror and loss, comes God's message of sheltering hope and the promise of new beginnings.
May we open our hearts to receive this gift and allow its transformative grace into our beings.
Peace to you,
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Council News
The Council's Faith Family Kitchen is an important part of Barnstable County's emergency response network for the homeless. We provide essential nutrition 3 - 7 times every week, year round for those who struggle with food insecurity. This past January and February alone, this totaled over 2300 meals.
So a power loss that disables the use of the Kitchen impacts many lives. In order to safeguard our services against such disruption, we are delighted to report that we will soon be installing a commercial-grade generator . This is possible due to the tremendous generosity of the Hyannis Rotary Club and the Yawkey Foundation, which together are underwriting the costs of all equipment and installation.
THANK YOU for this gift that will enhance the well-being of so many of our vulnerable neighbors.
 
Unity on Cape Cod welcomes all for an Interfaith Prayer Service for Peace,
Wednesday, April 27 at 7:30 at the Church, 147 Walton Ave, Hyannis, MA.
Faith Leaders representing twelve different religious and spiritual communities from around the Cape will gather at Unity on Cape Cod for a special prayer service for world peace, with our focus on Ukraine and other war torn areas of our planet. The Council will be a participant.
This is our opportunity to show our support for the Ukrainian people and help raise the consciousness of oneness, the sacredness of life and the interdependence of all beings on earth. We know the power of prayer combined with direct action can and will bring about a positive change for all humanity.
Council Program News
Hands of Hope Food Pantry and Outreach Center
Our Thrift Shop re-opened for the season on Saturday April 2! The Thrift Shop is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday 10 am -1 pm. We hope to add additional hours in June. Please call Cathy Driscoll 508-432-1312 if you can volunteer a few hours to help sell the nice items donated to the Thrift Shop. No other duties such as cleaning, unpacking, pricing etc. are required. Your help will greatly assist the funds we can bring in to purchase food for our Food Pantry.
Hands of Hope is preparing the Touring the Thrift Shops of Cape Cod brochure for re-printing. All Shops currently listed in the brochure have been notified. If you know of a Shop that is benefitting a local charity, that is not currently included, please let Cathy know and she can contact them.
Thank you so much for your food donations! Currently, the Pantry is requesting:
 kid’s school snacks- baked beans
- Spam
- Manwich
- Chili
- Stew
- Pasta sauce & Pasta
- Hamburger Helper
- Cookies or Crackers
- Coffee and Tea
A special thanks to the Harwich Women’s Club for their invitation to Cathy to speak about Hands of Hope. They also had a food drive for us and donated funds they collected. We so appreciate their generosity.
We would also like to thank Chase Library in West Harwich for their generous financial contributions from library patrons attending their lecture series. Thank you for choosing Hands of Hope for this donation.
We recently were able to purchase a beautiful new commercial freezer from Harris-Warren for our Pantry through a grant from Beth Israel Housing in Boston. Thanks to a referral from the Greater Boston Food Bank such a wonderful purchase was possible. The extra space adds capacity for us to receive more frozen food from the Food Bank. Pictured with our gorgeous new freezer are Sherri Williams and Debbie Noonan.
Finally, thank you to all our volunteers who make our work possible!
from left to right: David Noonan, Sal Coco, Stu Saposnik, Dennis Goyette, Darlene Fisk,
John Harrison, and Michael Cerbone, our Crew Chief.
Thanks so much for all the food pick-ups from the Greater Boston Food Bank Drop in Harwich.
Cathy Driscoll
Director, Hands of Hope Food Pantry and Outreach Center
A Baby Center
SAVE THE DATE!
Thursday, June 16 - Purchase Tickets HERE
Many hands are at work helping to create this very special event. Hope to see you all there in June!
Robin Hayward
Director, A Baby Center
Youth StreetReach, Homeless Ministries
Dear Friends,
They say that pictures speak a thousand words! I tried to capture the feeling of our March Youth StreetReach Breakfast with pictures but I kept stopping to talk to people! Hopefully some of these pictures will help to tell the story of how so many young people (and some older!) made a difference!
The morning was filled with conversation and many stories were told. The pictures of a Jenga game that went on for quite a while were an example of how we can create a safe place where everyone can just be themselves and have fun.
Everyone was happy to see our friend Tommy who had just been in the hospital and came straight to the breakfast when he was discharged!
 
There was plenty of food and plenty of folks to help serve it! We gave away bags of clothing, toiletries, and blankets.
Our next Youth StreetReach breakfast will be held at the First Baptist Church of Hyannis on Saturday morning, April 23. Contact Marilyn Lariviere for information on how to participate: mlariv@comcast.net or 508-776-6059.
Marilyn Lariviere
Director, Homeless Ministries
Covenant to Care for Foster Families
Covenant to Care for Foster Families matches a Cape Cod and Islands congregation or civic group with a foster family to support that family and children in their care. This program works along with the  Cape’s District Office of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF). Liaisons, who are volunteers from congregations or civic groups, help the families with emotional support and other needs for the foster children in their homes. Foster families have been very grateful and have enjoyed participating in this program. Seeing the smiles on the faces of all the family members as a result of having been helped through this program is very rewarding for everyone! The liaisons have shared that they have a rewarding and grateful feeling while working with foster families.
In addition to this support, the “Fostering a Dream” Fund offers small grants to cover special needs, such as sports fees, enrichment lessons, equipment, summer camp fees, etc. Foster families can apply to receive funding for each child in their foster care, up to a limit of $400 per calendar year. Please share with the foster families in your congregation this great opportunity to apply for financial assistant for summer-campership.
If you know a foster family, please tell them about this great program that is available for them. Also, if you are a member of a congregation or civic group that would like to volunteer, please contact Natalia Albino Frois at 508-775-5077 or at ctocaredirector@gmail.com.
For more information we can come to a service in your congregation to explain about the Covenant to Care Program.
Natalia Albino Frois
Director, Covenant to Care for Foster Families
Donate to help your neighbors
Cape Cod Council of Churches is a charitable 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization
During this COVID-19 crisis, you may be depending on Amazon for some essentials. Consider adding the Council as your preferred charity on AmazonSmile. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice. Click on the button below to get started, and thank you!
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Community News
Children of Cape Cod need Foster Families!
Foster families provide safe, nurturing homes to children who are in the care and custody of the Department of Children & Families.
Foster parents come from all walks of life and can be single or living with a spouse/partner of either gender, and from any ethnic, cultural, or religious background.
To learn more about fostering, please call the Cape & Islands DCF Office at 508-760-0200 or Massachusetts MENTOR at 508-862-2639, or visit the Mentor Network's website.
Thank You!!
Cape Cod Children’s Place and SAFE Child Communities continue strengthening efforts to contribute in achieving an integrated community where all families can access equal parent education opportunities.
We know how much parents from minor Communities also care about their children's safety. Therefore, in collaboration with our partners The Children’s Cove and Health Ministry, we are delighted to offer to our Hispanic Community the “In the Interest of Every Child” conversation.
It is just one conversation session, we are offering different dates, virtual and in-person, and the capacity will be limited to facilitate the privacy and comfort of the participants. For more information or registration contact Cape Cod Children's Place, Marly Pereda at 508.240.3310 or Health Ministry at 774.470.4946.
Please share this opportunity with anyone you feel it could benefit!
In more SAFE Child Community news: Our SWAP is back! Cape Cod Children’s Place will hold the Spring/Summer children’s clothing SWAP on Saturday, May 7th, from 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Eastham.
Flyers for this event are available in English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Barnstable Neighbor to Neighbor (BN2N) is a network of volunteers who assist older residents in maintaining their independence and staying connected to their community.
We bring together older residents, who are living independently in their own homes but need some additional assistance, with volunteers who will provide those services.
 Our members receive services such as transportation, light household and yard work, grocery shopping, running errands, socialization, and assistance with devices such as smart phones, TVs, tablets.
To be eligible for membership, one must be a Town of Barnstable resident (in any of the 7 villages), at least age 60, and living independently and safely in their own home. We offer reduced-fee memberships for eligible residents unable to afford the full membership fee.
Our volunteers are CORI-screened and receive training prior to providing services.
If you are interested in joining BN2N as a member or volunteer, please click here to view our brochure, visit our website at barnstableneighbor.org or call us at 508.418.9220.
The Journey of the Global Pandemic Stone
Last year on Good Friday 2021, at the State House in Boston, the 2,500 pound Global Pandemic Bereavement Stone (on its specially designed and engineered carriage), was pulled on a caisson through the streets of Boston where it was blessed by clergy and people who opened their hearts to their grief during this pandemic. This year, on Thursday, April 14, the Cape Cod Hospital will host the stone and conduct a memorial service there at 10 am. This will provide their staff and visitors the opportunity to touch and gather around the stone to share their grief and prayers. Sadly, the death toll of this pandemic in America is approaching 1 million at this time, which means countless millions of Americans have experienced great sadness and loss, which is why the stone is back on the move to tend to their grief stricken hearts.
Subsequent services are planned for Hyannis, Falmouth, Woods Hole, Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven.
Those wishing to learn more about the Pandemic Stone journey should contact the Peace Abbey in Millis, MA., where the stone was created. Lewis Randa, the Director of the Abbey can be reached at 508-259-8508. Lewis would like to offer community members in Hyannis, Falmouth, Woods Hole, Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven the opportunity to attend the services, to pull and/or walk with the stone.
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Donate to help your neighbors
Cape Cod Council of Churches is a charitable 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization
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About the Council
The Cape Cod Council of Churches serves people of all ages from Cape Cod and the Islands who are facing some of life's most difficult challenges. We have been privileged to serve our neighbors for 60 years, meeting people at their points of critical need and helping them move forward to greater stability. We are able to impact the lives of over 7,500 residents each year through the Council's six different programs and the work of over 400 volunteers. With the help of churches and our community our mission comes to life, "Serving God by Serving Others," as we offer practical assistance, spiritual support and hope - all without regard for religious affiliation.
A BABY CENTER, Hyannis
A BABY CENTER, Nantucket
Provides critical basic baby needs to income eligible families (WIC) for infants up to age four on Cape Cod and the Islands. The Hyannis Center serves over 500 babies each month. Families receive diapers, wipes, formula, gently-used clothing and other baby necessities.
COVENANT TO CARE
Matches a Cape & Islands congregation with Foster Care Families, supporting those families and the foster children in their care. This program works in partnership with the MA Dept. of Children & Families.
FAITH FAMILY KITCHEN
Provides hot, nutritious meals to our food insecure neighbors three evenings a week in Hyannis. Volunteer congregations and community groups help to prepare and serve free meals each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
HANDS OF HOPE FOOD PANTRY AND OUTREACH CENTER
Offers emergency assistance to low-income families in the mid-Cape area (Mashpee to Harwich). Assistance includes: food, clothing, small household goods and financial relief to prevent evictions.
HOMELESS MINISTRIES
Homeless Ministries Services
Offers short term emergency shelter for families and individuals facing homelessness.
Youth StreetReach
Enables teens to interact with our homeless neighbors by serving a meal and hearing firsthand how a life's path can lead to unexpected circumstances.
HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY
Sponsors a Chaplain at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital who offers prayers, hope and comfort to patients and families in their time of illness and recovery.
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