For the third year in a row, Ferncliff was honored with an invitation to participate in the Festival of Sharing right outside of Springfield!

The Festival of Sharing is a cooperative response to hunger, poverty, and injustice in Missouri and beyond that’s supported by the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church and various other denominational partners.. This event has existed, in one form or another, for over 60 years. In recent history, the Festival was held in one location one time of the year. Quickly, over one hundred agency partners (food pantries, clothes closets, foster and adoption programs, community gardens, resource centers, and more) were showing up and getting involved. In response to the overwhelming generosity of these partners, the folks behind the scenes of the Festival of Sharing made the decision to hold smaller “Sharefests” all across Missouri.

On Saturday, September 16, Ruth and our ever-faithful box truck, Boxanne, made the short trek up to Republic, Missouri. She arrived to a group of 20+ eager and excited volunteers assembling kits, gathering supplies, and bringing the party to the parking lot of Hood Methodist Church. Some of the supplies outside of disaster assistance included food boxes, personal hygiene items, reading and writing material, dental kits, blankets, paper products, and even infant care necessities. Over the course of the morning, 600 pounds of school and hygiene kits, period packs, and assorted supplies were piled into Boxanne! The donations have already been sorted into the DAC at Ferncliff and are ready for volunteer and mission groups to assemble and inspect. 

The Ferncliff team is deeply grateful for opportunities to collaborate with other denominations in addressing regional, national, and global needs. Additionally, heartfelt appreciation is extended to all who volunteered at Sharefest or contributed supplies and kits. CWS and Ferncliff’s DAC rely on the kindness and generosity of individuals like you. Thank you for being part of this vital mission!

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Want to get involved? There are lots of ways to support Ferncliff’s mission and outreach efforts. Contact Emily for information on bringing a mission team to Ferncliff, or about the availability of small group volunteer service days in the DAC.

Information on creating kits to donate can be found on the CWS website.

For more info on Festival of Sharing, check out their website!