3 minute read
Help Wanted For Churches of Upperville
Help Wanted For Churches of Upperville
By M.J. McAteer
WANTED: A new director(s) for the Churches of Upperville Outreach Program (CUOP).
QUALIFICATIONS: Willingness to donate a few hours a week to a food program that benefits needy families in the Upperville area.
COMPENSATION: The karma that comes from making the proverb “Charity begins at home” a reality.
For 30 years, Mount Pisgah Baptist, Trinity Episcopal, Upperville Baptist and Upperville Methodist have combined forces to supply food baskets to needy families in the area through their Churches of Upperville Outreach Program.
Longtime village resident Betty Lee started the program, but for the past 24 years, Patty Nicoll and her husband, Peter, Upperville residents for 40 years, have served as voluntary directors. Locals may know the Nicolls from the years Peter spent managing the Red Fox Inn while Patty supervised the front desk.
The Nicolls’ are now ready to pass the mantle, and they hope that some “new blood with fresh ideas” might see this story and step forward to take over the CUOP.
That new blood would be tasked with overseeing a four-time-yearly distribution of food to 26 local families—98 people in all, including 55 children. They’re chosen through recommendations from Upperville church members and administrators at Banneker Elementary in Middleburg, Claude Thompson Elementary in Rectortown and W.G. Coleman Elementary in Marshall. All three have a disturbingly high percentage of students living in poverty.
At Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, the CUOP gives out the baskets. Families of five or more get four, mid-sized families get two and small households get one. The baskets are actually large, sturdy banana boxes with hand holds recycled from the Seven Loaves Services food bank in Middleburg.
Each is packed with about $150 of groceries that include “everything that you need for a holiday meal plus shelf-handy items,” Patty Nicoll said. All told, the CUOP gave away about $16,000 of food last year.
The Nicolls do some accounting and outreach work throughout the year, but the weeks before each distribution are extremely busy.
Although many volunteers help with packing and delivering the baskets, they estimate that they spend about 45 hours on the shopping, sorting, packing and distribution for each of the giveaways. They hit Costco and Walmart to stock up on nonperishables about two weeks before a distribution Closer to the delivery days, they shop again for perishables. Turkeys are given out at Thanksgiving and Christmas, with hams for Easter.
Ayrshire Farm gives the CUOP about 160 pounds of ground beef for the Valentine’s Day distribution.
This year, Foxcroft students contributed dyed eggs and home-baked cupcakes to the Easter baskets.
At Christmas, the Upperville Garden Club and the Fauquier and Loudoun Garden Club contribute gift cards, and Slater Run Vineyards is in its seventh year of holding a crab fest with proceeds earmarked for the CUOP. This year’s fest is on August 16.
The Upperville Colt & Horse Show also supports the charity.. And the night before Thanksgiving, the churches hold a community service and all the offerings they collect go to the CUOP. Individuals help out with donations, as well.
“Middleburg has a lot of resources, but the folks out here have less,” said Patty Nicoll. “The CUOP is a worthwhile, lovely program.”
And now, it also needs a charitable someone or two to help it keep on helping others. The Nicolls would be happy to offer details on what directing the CUOP involves. Contact them at pnicoll1378@gmail.com.
