Shirley Downing, the executive director of West Houston Assistance Ministries, thanked Memorial and all WHAM’s coalition congregations for their support in a recent email. She said, “WHAM has received the “love offerings” from all of the coalition of churches, totaling $8,860.31. Thank you all so very much for making this possible. We can now pursue other grants in 2012 to solicit funding for the capital campaign stating we have received 100% from the churches donations to the campaign.”

A heartfelt thank you from West Houston Assistance Ministries and all the children who will be receiving the gifts Memorial members have donated this December.  Deb St-Onge delivered a whole box of toys on December 14.  It’s not too late to bring in a donation this weekend!  Drop it off in the commons area near the WHAM Food Donation box.

Memorial Lutheran Church is a member of West Houston Assistance Ministries.  They have some significant needs as they seek to help people through the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  Donations can be left at the “Food Pantry Donation” drop off in the Commons area.

As many of you are fully aware, WHAM has faced many challenges recently. We currently have 13 families that have signed up for our Holiday “Adopt A Family” program that still need to be adopted. This means that they have a list of needs and wants for their family and you fill those needs for the Holidays. Unfortunately, many of the people that have assisted with this program in the past, cannot, for one reason or another, assist this year and therefore we find ourselves reaching out to others. The financial commitment for this varies from family to family, but you can request a single mother, a family of two, or the such. If you are able to assist with this program, please contact Sonya Scott, our Director of Client Services, or Cindy Orman at 713.977.5522.

• This year we had a 62% increase in families needing assistance for their Thanksgiving Dinner. We were forced to set a cut off date due to the fact that we only had certain funds allocated for this program. Other agencies within Houston are also facing financial issues and have referred their clients to WHAM. We are trying to assist as many families as possible. Please join us in these efforts.

Secondly, WHAM provided toys for approximately 750 children last year. Currently WHAM has 500 children signed up to receive toys for the Holiday Season. This year while we do not want to turn any child away, we are quickly approaching our limitations with funds. Please support those in your community by having a toy drive or delivering your brand new toys to WHAM through December 19. Toys will be distributed to families during December 20, 21 and 22. (List of types of toys to donate below)

Lastly, you can donate $10 Walmart gift cards. These will be used as donations to families, toys for children, gift cards for older teens and other initiatives in client services.

For any questions or to support one of these initiatives, please contact Sonya Scott (sscott@whamministries.org) or Cindy Orman (c.orman@whamministries.org) at 713.977.5522.

Most Needed Toys Include:
Board Games
Books
Coloring Books & Crayons
Legos
Educational Toys
Basketballs
Footballs
Baseballs
Stuffed Animals
Dolls (all ethnic groups)
Toys for babies

Our October 9th food drive collected over 370 lbs of food and raised over $750 from the congregation and households in the Briargrove and Chimney Rock neighborhoods. On behalf of the West Houston Assistance Ministries (WHAM) Food Pantry, thank you for much! You may continue to make donations any time by leaving them in the box in the Commons area. Donations are collected once a month and brought to WHAM by Memorial volunteers.

If you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
(Isaiah 58:10 ESV)

Memorial’s youth and young adults will conduct their annual food drive for West Houston Assistance Ministries the week of October 1st through 9th. All members of Memorial are invited to bring their donations of non-perishable food items to worship on Sunday, October 9th. They may be brought to the covered drop-off on the west side of the Sanctuary between 9 AM and 11 AM.

Thanks to everyone who has been bringing in food donations and dropping them off in our “WHAM Ministries” box in the Commons.   That’s the donation box right by the water fountains, across from the office lobby.  We’ve been averaging about 50 lbs of donations a month.  As great as that sounds, it still leaves Memorial at the bottom for congregational donations to WHAM’s food pantry.  Christ the Servant, the ELCA church on Wilcrest north of Westheimer, gives over 600 lbs of donations each month!  Let us give out of the abundance of God’s blessings to those from whom Christ also died, but who have need of physical sustenance.   “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:10-11).  God bless you and make you a blessing in Christ.

WHAM

Mission Statement
We seek to carry out Christ’s command to love and provide for those in need.

Vision Statement
West Houston Assistance Ministries (WHAM) will be a model of Christian service, utilizing the talents and resources of the community to minister love and support to those in need.

Founded in April 1982 by seven local places of worship, West Houston Assistance Ministries (WHAM), formerly known as Westheimer Ecumenical Social Ministry (WESM), saw a need to provide for the needy that came through their church doors seeking assistance. WHAM has been and continues to be “a door of hope” for West Houston children, families, and homeless individuals in crisis. Offering assistance in meeting the essentials of daily living, WHAM matches client needs with available services and programs, including financial assistance, job search, food pantry, low cost sale items and special programs. Since the inception of WESM, a dedicated group of volunteers have devoted time, talent and treasures to support the WHAM mission. Individuals, businesses, organizations, churches and schools throughout West Houston provide the vital resources to as many as 16,000 clients each year. WHAM has developed a reputation as a caring, concerned and supportive operation for those in need. To find out how you can help make a difference, please visit www.WHAMMinistries.org, or follow WHAM Ministries on Facebook and Twitter.