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Church youth help raise funds for Haiti

2 min read

Kids from Cape Coral First United Methodist Church are doing their part to help provide relief for the people in Haiti, selling baked goods and lemonade on the church’s front lawn Monday.
It’s part of the church’s overall efforts to aid the country ravaged late last week by a devastating earthquake.
So far, they church has requested special offerings during Sunday’s service, had parishioners donate shoes and now hosted the bake sale, which had raised close to $100 by selling brownies, cookies and toasted rice treats.
“We wanted a way for the kids to respond to the relief effort,” said Claire Benson, the church’s director of children’s ministries. “We wanted to teach them the world is bigger than Cape Coral.”
Benson said the group had greeted a nice mix of people, as both church members and people who were not affiliated with the church stopped by to sample the goodies and make a donation.
Church member Mike Moretti was one of those people, leaving with a plate full of baked goods.
“We heard about this yesterday so we thought we would come by,” Moretti said.
All the proceeds will be given to UMCOR — the United Methodist Committee on Relief — which will distribute the funds appropriately.
UMCOR has long had a presence in Haiti, helping to build school, fight disease and poverty, and now acting in an emergency response relief capacity.
UMCOR’s director, the Rev. Sam Dixon, died in the earthquake, at the age of 60.
Though Benson said the bake sale was simply “spur of the moment,” she was proud of the youngsters’ efforts, and proud of their selflessness.
“The kids that go to this church are very giving,” she said.
Another bake sale is being planned for Jan. 30, at the Publix on Cape Coral Parkway.
Details were still being worked out, so the time of the sale was not yet finalized.
For more information on First United Methodist Church’s next fund-raising effort, contact the church 542-4051.