Service
Project Restoration, an initiative of the Eastern PA Conference of the United Methodist Church (EPAUMC), is working to help residents recover from the severe damages—physical, financial and emotional—wreaked by floods caused by recent hurricanes. Your help is needed for them to be successful in their initiatives! Learn more and register to help on the EPAUMC website.
Click to learn more and to register (if applicable)
BE A CLASSROOM VOLUNTEER AT RAMOS ELEMENTARY | Ongoing
VOLUNTEER AT SALEM FOOD PANTRY | Ongoing, Fridays and Saturdays
VOLUNTEER AT ALLENTOWN ECUMENICAL FOOD BANK| Ongoing, Monday – Friday, 9 AM – 12 PM; Thursday 4 PM – 6 PM (see website)
(drop-off in the “Donation Bin Closet” on Asbury’s lower level across from the church office)
Stamps (for missions)
Toiletries (for Daybreak)
Used Cell Phones (for Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley)
Click to learn more and to register (if applicable)
BE A CLASSROOM VOLUNTEER AT RAMOS ELEMENTARY | Ongoing
VOLUNTEER AT SALEM FOOD PANTRY | Ongoing, Fridays and Saturdays
VOLUNTEER AT ALLENTOWN ECUMENICAL FOOD BANK| Ongoing, Fridays and Saturdays
(drop-off in the “Donation Bin Closet” on Asbury’s lower level across from the church office)
Stamps (for missions)
Toiletries (for Daybreak)
Used Cell Phones (for Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley)
FEBRUARY 1, 2022 UPDATE: Bags are no longer being collected at this time. Thank you for your contributions!
The Sleeping Mat Ministry is collecting plastic grocery bags again to be used to create sleeping mats out of “PLARN” for the homeless. Bags can be dropped off in the marked receptacle outside of the upper entrance of Asbury. Learn more at asburylv.org/PLARN.
The sleeping mat ministry is continuing to create and provide plastic sleeping mats for the homeless. Learn more about this ministry, the materials needed, the creation process, and how you can help at at asburylv.org/sleepingmatministry.
The Sleeping Mat Ministry creates plastic sleeping mats for the homeless. These mats help keep their bedding dry and also add a cushioning layer. The mats are created from used plastic shopping bags, therefore helping the environment while helping our neighbors in need.
| PLEASE NOTE: Plastic bags are not being collected for this project at this time. |
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This ministry began in mid-March of 2020. At this point the team has created 89 sleeping mats. These mats are distributed in the Lehigh Valley by the Street Medicine Team of the Lehigh Valley Health Network. When extra mats are available, LVHN sends them to the Reading Hospital where they are distributed through their own Street Medicine team.
Images of some mats our team has created:
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Each mat takes an estimated 500-700 grocery bags (a large trash bag stuffed tightly full), so it takes a lot of time to make a single sleeping mat. Every bag must be flattened out, folded, cut, strung together and crocheted. Carrying straps and ties must be created, then the mat must be measured, rolled, tied, and given a strap. None of the steps are difficult, but they do take time. Some team members specialize in one or more areas; others do it all. If you think you would like to help create mats, please contact the church office today!
Follow the link below for a slideshow of how the mats are assembled:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XfdRqCAWgxHmDQVPKQ6luB1JATtKuRApEaNLoJVbHrc/edit#slide=id.p
What is needed to produce sleeping mats:
The Sleeping Mat Ministry Team would like to thank everyone for their donations of clean, used plastic grocery bags. Due to the large amount of storage space the bags take, bags will be collected only until the storage space is full. The Sleeping Mat Ministry appreciates your support!
Click to learn more and to register (if applicable)
“THANKS FOR GIVING” FOOD AND SUPPLY DRIVE (ALLENTOWN RESCUE MISSION) | November 7 – 22
BE A CLASSROOM VOLUNTEER AT RAMOS ELEMENTARY | Ongoing
VOLUNTEER AT SALEM FOOD PANTRY | Ongoing, Fridays and Saturdays
VOLUNTEER AT ALLENTOWN ECUMENICAL FOOD BANK| Ongoing, Fridays and Saturdays
(drop-off in the “Donation Bin Closet” on Asbury’s lower level across from the church office)
Stamps (for missions)
Toiletries (for Daybreak)
Used Cell Phones (for Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley)
The “Thanks for Giving” Food and Supply Drive to benefit the Allentown Rescue Mission will be held November 7-21. Drop off your donations in the bin outside the door to the upper level 24/7. Donations will be brought into the building daily. Any food item is appreciated, but most needed at this time are:
A full list of needed food and supplies can be found at https://www.allentownrescuemission.org/needed-supplies.
Thank you for your many years of supporting this annual food drive!
Ramos Classroom Volunteers
Asbury established a partnership with center-city Luis A Ramos Elementary School nearly 10 years ago. One of the most important and rewarding aspects of this partnership has been Asbury members volunteering in the classrooms. Now that in-person learning has been reinstated, Ramos Principal Josh Radcliffe is requesting additional volunteers (vaccinated and masked) to work with Ramos teachers and students. If you wish to participate, you’ll be assigned a teacher and you can work with them to determine how many hours you’d like to volunteer each week. If you have an interest, a good first step is to complete your background checks (see below) and then you’ll be set to start when you feel comfortable (from a COVID standpoint) being in the classroom. This is a life-changing experience for both the students and you. We’d encourage you to read the testimonials below from current Asbury volunteers. If this opportunity is right for you, we hope you’ll use it as a way to live out your faith through service.
Ramos Volunteer Testimonials
Ramos Background
Luis A. Ramos Elementary School at 15th and Allen is a long-time Asbury mission partner. The student population at Ramos ranges from 700-900 depending on the year; and over 90% of Ramos families live below the poverty level.
Over the years Asbury members have been actively involved in the support of Ramos teachers, staff, students and their families.
Background Checks
Background checks are required for classroom volunteers every 5 years. There is a simple three-step process to be completed.
Click to learn more and to register (if applicable)
SPONSOR AN ASBURY CYCLIST FOR COMMUNITY BIKE WORKS’ VIRTUAL SPIN-A-THON | September 18 – October 3
DRIVE-THRU COLLECTION IN CONJUNCTION WITH VIRTUAL CROP WALK (FOR ALLENTOWN ECUMENICAL FOOD BANK | October 2
VOLUNTEER AT SALEM FOOD PANTRY | Ongoing, Fridays and Saturdays
VOLUNTEER AT ALLENTOWN ECUMENICAL FOOD BANK | Ongoing, Fridays and Saturdays
(drop-off in the “Donation Bin Closet” on Asbury’s lower level across from the church office)
Stamps (for missions)
Toiletries (for Daybreak)
Used Cell Phones (for Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley)
Click to learn more and to register (if applicable)
RAMOS WORK DAY | Saturday, August 28, 9 AM – ≈12 PM
SPONSOR AN ASBURY CYCLIST FOR COMMUNITY BIKE WORKS’ VIRTUAL SPIN-A-THON | September 18 – October 3
VOLUNTEER AT SALEM FOOD PANTRY | Ongoing, Fridays and Saturdays
(drop-off in the “Donation Bin Closet” on Asbury’s lower level across from the church office)
Stamps (for missions)
Toiletries (for Daybreak)
Used Cell Phones (for Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley)
Click to learn more and to register (if applicable)
COLLECTION FOR RIPPLE COMMUNITY CENTER | Saturday, August 21, 9 AM – 12 PM (Asbury upper entrance / parking lot)
RAMOS WORK DAY | Saturday, August 28, 9 AM – ≈12 PM
SPONSOR AN ASBURY CYCLIST FOR COMMUNITY BIKE WORKS’ VIRTUAL SPIN-A-THON | September 18 – October 3
VOLUNTEER AT SALEM FOOD PANTRY | Ongoing, Fridays and Saturdays
Click to learn more and to register (if applicable)
COLLECTION FOR RIPPLE COMMUNITY CENTER | Saturday, August 21, 9 AM – 12 PM (Asbury upper entrance / parking lot)
RAMOS WORK DAY | Saturday, August 28, 9 AM – ≈12 PM
VOLUNTEER AT SALEM FOOD PANTRY | Ongoing, Fridays and Saturdays
The Annual Ramos Elementary School Work Day will be held on August 28 from 9 AM until sometime around noon. Projects will include mulching the playground and parking lot islands, trimming trees, weeding, and cleaning up the campus so the grounds will look great when students return to school after Labor Day.
If you can help, please add your name to this Google Sheet.
About Ramos Elementary:
Luis A. Ramos Elementary School at 15th and Allen is a long-time Asbury mission partner.
The student population at Ramos ranges from 700-900 depending on the year; and over 90% of Ramos families live below the poverty level.
Over the years Asbury members have been actively involved in the support of Ramos teachers, staff, students and their families.
• Obtaining Books for the Library (Christmas Eve Offering)
• Concert to raise money for musical instruments
• Donation of used musical instruments
• Annual work day to mulch playground and beautify grounds
• Key supporters of the construction of a new playground at Ramos
• A dozen or so Asbury members volunteering in classrooms (prior to the pandemic)
• Backpack drives in the fall
• School supply drives
• Coat, hat and mitten drives
• Adopting Ramos families at Christmas
• Packing holiday gift bags before Christmas
• Gathering cleaning supplies to help teachers keep their classrooms safe
Asbury’s Health Ministry team is holding a collection for the Ripple Community Center. Ripple Community Center is an Allentown outreach that supports Allentown residents Including people experiencing homelessness, housing instability, socially isolated, with a history of trauma or mental illness, and the working poor.
At this time they are in need of donations of the following items:
If you can help, please bring your donations to the upper entrance of Asbury on Saturday, August 21 from 9 AM – 12 PM.
The Asbury Health Ministry Team greatly appreciates your generosity!
As part of our merger with Salem UMC, we are part of ensuring the continued success of the vital center-city ministry they began to provide a food pantry for those in need. But your help is needed!
The Salem Food Pantry is an Allentown food ministry providing fresh locally grown foods for people in need! Volunteers assist at the pantry on the first and third Fridays and Saturdays of each month. Fridays are preparation days, when food is unloaded, bagged, and readied; and Saturdays are when the pantry is open for foods to be picked up. The pantry needs 4-5 volunteers for each day. Able to help? Contact the church office at 610-398-2577.
The “Thanks for Giving” Food and Supply Drive to benefit the Allentown Rescue Mission will be held November 15-22, 2020. Drop off your donations in the bin outside the door to the upper level 24/7 but prior to 10 AM on Sunday November 22nd. They will be brought inside the church daily. Any donations of canned food and cleaning supplies are welcome, but most needed this year are:
The Rescue Mission is most appreciative of Asbury’s support over the years. In 2019, more than 40,000 meals were served. For more information, https://www.allentownrescuemission.org/.
A note from Wendy Arbushites, coordinator of the Sleeping Mat Ministry.
The Sleeping Mat Ministry team would like to thank everyone for their donations of clean, used plastic grocery bags! An extra thank you to the people who flatten out their bags, to the people who sort theirs by color, and the people who do the folding as per the slideshow! These steps all save us time, so thank you to those of you who take those extra steps for us.
Since early March, we have created 22 sleeping mats for the homeless in the Lehigh Valley. With winter coming, we could use more help to create mats. We would love all of our neighbors in need to have a sleeping mat for the winter.
Each mat takes an estimated 500-700 grocery bags (an average trash bag stuffed tightly full), so it takes a lot of time to make a single sleeping mat. Every bag must be flattened out, folded, cut, strung together and crocheted. Carrying straps and ties must be created, then the mat must be measured, rolled, tied, and given a strap. None of the steps are difficult, but they do take time. Some team members specialize in one or more areas; others do it all.
We would like to clarify what we need to produce sleeping mats.
If you can follow these guidelines, you will help us to cut down on sorting time and on trash disposal. We appreciate you helping this ministry to care for our neighbors!
If you think you might be interested in helping, please contact Wendy Arbushites, coordinator.
Making a sleeping mat slideshow link:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XfdRqCAWgxHmDQVPKQ6luB1JATtKuRApEaNLoJVbHrc/edit#slide=id.p
Recently completed sleeping mats.
Our July delivery to the Lehigh Valley Health Network.
Saturday, September 19, 12 PM – 2 PM (Asbury lower parking lot)
Asbury’s Health Ministry team is holding a collection for the Ripple Community Center. Ripple Community Center is an Allentown outreach that supports Allentown residents Including people experiencing homelessness, housing instability, socially isolated, with a history of trauma or mental illness, and the working poor.
Get a list of needed items at asburylv.org/ripplecollection.
Saturday, September 26, 9 AM – 12 PM
Since the Allentown School District schools won’t be physically open we’ve delayed our Annual Ramos Elementary Work Day until September 26th (with a rain date of October 3rd) from 9:00 AM to noon. We’ll be cleaning up the grounds and remulching the playground. We will follow the governor’s guidelines for masks, distancing and number of people. If you can help, please add your name to our Google Sheet.
Saturday, October 10, 10 AM – 12 PM (Asbury’s upper parking lot)
Get a list of needed items at asburylv.org/CROPcollection.
fundraise and complete on own through October 11
The CROP Walk raises funds and awareness to help combat world hunger.
Visit crophungerwalk.org/allentownpa to register and start raising funds with our team ASBURY SPIRIT or to make a donation to Asbury Spirit team member.
Visit asburylv.org/CROPWalk for more information.
Create at home
Ever heard of PLARN????
ongoing
The Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank needs volunteers noon to 2-2:30 pm Monday, Thursday and Friday and an occasional Tuesday to pack groceries for clients. Everyone must wear mask. Contact Vanessa by calling 610-821-1332.
