The Giving Corner
On this page, you will find calls for donations of food, toiletries, clothing, furniture, or other specific items needed either by one of our mission partners or community organizations that Outreach Ministries has chosen to support.
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Outreach Ministries will also post volunteer opportunities, some of them occurring regularly, others occurring according to the needs of a mission partner or community organization.
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Lastly, we will post here links to information about annual service trips that church members volunteer for with our mission partners.
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If you have further questions, please get in touch with the Outreach Ministries representative, Eilene Hoft-March,
Opportunities to Donate
Ongoing Donations
Special Donations Collected throughout the Year
January - LEAVEN household and personal hygiene items
March - Back Bay Mission
April - World Relief diaper drive
July - Henderson Settlement drive
August - Re-Member
September - Baby Basket drive
October - Menominee Tribal Youth Services athletic shoe drive
November - Pillars or World Relief coat drive
Opportunities to Volunteer
Volunteer On-Site at First Congregational
Build relationships in our Church Community
Service Sunday
The first Sunday in June, service Sunday is an opportunity for our congregation and friends to complete simple service projects and participate in light cleaning in the church or clean up of the church grounds.
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Point of Contact
Nancy Brown-Koeller, nbkappleton@gmail.com
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Kevin Clavers, kclavers@new.rr.com
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Mary Willems, willems4@twc.com
Hanging of the Greens
Members are invited to help decorate the sanctuary for Advent and Christmas
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Point of Contact
Sarah Wilterdink, swilterdink@uccappleton.org
Alternative Christmas
A festive event with food, music and opportunities to shop for Christmas gifts that benefit our mission partners.
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Point of Contact
JoAnn Shropshire, joshrop@new.rr.com
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Shelley Nulton, snulton@att.net
Volunteer in the Fox Valley
Build Relationships with the Wider Community
Pillars
Pillars Adult & Family Shelter provides a safe temporary shelter and guidance for adults and families in the Fox Valley. Approximately 75 people are sheltered each day. First Congregational has stayed actively involved in Pillars serving dinners first Thursdays of the month.
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Point of Contact​
Shelley Nulton, snulton@att.net
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World Relief
We all want to make a difference in the world. It’s part of how we are designed. You can bring your gifts, abilities and interests, and World Relief will help you connect and walk alongside families and individuals as they rebuild their lives in Wisconsin.
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Point of Contact
Ann Gain, anngain@gmail.com
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ESTHER
ESTHER is an interfaith, nonprofit, grassroots organization that builds community and works on justice issues focusing in the Fox Valley and Oshkosh through the following task forces:
• Immigration: Primarily
addressing needs of the Latino population.
• Transportation: This task force addresses issues impacting public transportation in the Fox Valley area and Oshkosh.
• Prison: This group strives to reduce the number of people in county jails and state prisons.
• Environmental Justice: This group was formed to organize around issues of environmental justice.
Visit esther-foxvalley.org
Contact: Karen Pfefferle frauinator@gmail.com
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Point of Contact
Karen Pfefferle, frauinator@gmail.com
Habitat Faith Build
We bring people together to build homes, strengthen neighborhoods and achieve self-reliance. We are stewards of our community, our environment, as well as the time and talent of our volunteers, staff, donors and shoppers.
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Point of Contact
Tim DeHart, tdehart@new.rr.com​
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Plant-A-Row
Plant-A-Row garden project was founded by Dr. Jack Harris, who was committed to providing fresh, nutritious food to people in the community who are struggling. Volunteers are needed on a weekly basis to grow seedlings, plant, weed, harvest and deliver produce.
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Point of Contact
Julie Gamm,
LEAVEN
LEAVEN depends on 20-25 volunteers serving in various roles for 3-4 hour shifts to meet the needs of our clients. We ask that each volunteer commit to at least one shift per week. LEAVEN volunteers must be 18 or older and serve between these hours on Monday 9 am-7 pm, Tuesday-Thursday 9 am-4 pm, or Friday 9 am-12 pm. at our office in Menasha.
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E2F (Empty-to-Full)
The E2F Pan Program was launched in May 2011 to allow church participants to prepare food in their own home for the Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley (Now called Pillars) The main recipient is still Pillars, however, after their needs were met, Apricity & COTS were added as recipients. 3/4 of the pans
collected still provide food for Pillars Shelters. Since inception the program has provided more than 80,000 meals.
Click here to read more about how it all works!
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Point of Contact
Cindi MacSwain, cmacswain@new.rr.com
Service Trips to Our Partner Organizations
Back Bay Mission
Back Bay Mission is a community ministry of the United Church of Christ. Located in Biloxi, MS, it serves the Mississippi Gulf Coast and wider church community by faithful witness for social justice and compassionate service to the poor and marginalized. First Congregational has a long history of active participation in the mission with on-site projects.
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Point of Contact
Ken Jahnke, kjahnke@new.rr.com
Kenya Partnership
Our church has worked with the denomination and the Kerio Valley District Church Council to improve quality of life in the western region of Kenya. Our missions in Kenya are enacted through the development and support of programs that encourage spiritual growth and educate children through scholarships to go to high school.
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Point of Contact
Aimee Eubank, yoopers2@athenet.net
Henderson Settlement
We humbly believe that that God is blessing the work and outreach of the Henderson Settlement to assist the people in this area of Appalachia. Our focus is on helping to make a long term and sustainable difference in the lives of those with whom we work, and encourage and help them and their families to grow spiritually, economically and socially.
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Point of Contact
LouAnn Graf, fivesuisse@sbcglobal.net
Re-Member
We travel to the Pine Ridge Reservation where we build beds for children who do not have one. We build outhouses for those without functional plumbing. We build knowledge and support self-sufficiency in our community gardens. We build economy with our support of local native-owned business. We build hope for a better tomorrow, by focusing on the promise and possibility of what can be.
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Point of Contact
Eilene Hoft-March,
eilene.hoft-march@lawrence.edu