giving back First United Presbyterian Church of Dale City:
Helping at Home and Abroad By Olivia Overman
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ocated on Minnieville Road, Woodbridge, the First United Presbyterian Church of Dale City is a church embedded deep in the Prince William community. Officially chartered as the First United Presbyterian Church of Dale City on April 16, 1972 with the church building built in 1977, FUPCDC has a mission that reaches both locally, regionally and internationally. Their reach expands beyond the walls of the church, to individuals and groups in need of assistance.
Action in Community Through Service Working with ACTS, a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization serving the residents of the Greater Prince William Area, the FUPCDC congregation donates food and personal items throughout the year that are delivered to the ACTS Hunger Prevention Center twice each month. They also support the ACTS domestic violence shelter through quarterly donations of needed items. “Last February we held the Souper Bowl of Caring, where the congregation donated food and personal items such as soap, shampoo and toothpaste totaling 3,266 pounds,” said Pat Manalio, Mission and Outreach Committee member. These donations were delivered to the ACTS Hunger Prevention Center. Donations have been increasing each year with 899.3 pounds and 982.5 pounds donated in the previous two years.
Lakeridge Fellowship House FUPCDC started working with the Lakeridge Fellowship house “after learning about a need,” said Manalio. With 107 residents
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February 2020 prince william living
who live in these low-income, senior apartments, FUPCDC donates personal care items and food, and over the holiday period, they brought holiday cards and a gift for each resident.
Spread the Bread Ministry and Spread the Warmth More than 40 people from FUPCDC participate in a feeding program for people experiencing homelessness in Prince William, every Sunday of the year no matter the weather. A blanket and sleeping bag drive is held on Christmas Eve. In addition, sweatshirts, backpacks and gloves are provided to nearly 300 people. “We believe our congregation has given over 11,000 hours in volunteer hours,” said Pam Cox, Mission and Outreach Committee member. Spread the Warmth is another of the church’s ministries where congregation members knit items such as mittens and scarves throughout the year for distribution to the homeless. Hats are also made and distributed to cancer patients.
Un-Trim-A-Tree “Every year FUPCDC receives a list of about 50 names of children from Prince William County Social Services that need some support over the holidays,” said Cox. Congregation members pick a gift tag off the tree at the church and bring the requested gift and wrapping supplies to the church for delivery to the county.
