W in te r 2 0 1 4 ADVENTIST COMMUNITY SERVICES OF

Winter 2014
A DV E N T I S T C O M M U N I T Y S E RV I C E S
OF GREATER WASHINGTON
FOOD BASKETS HELP
HUNDREDS CELEBRATE
HOLIDAYS
Thanks to many organizations and
volunteers, the November and December
holiday food program was a huge success.
ACSGW assisted over 1,100 families at
Thanksgiving and 700 more in December.
An ACSGW Client and Her One-Year-Old Daughter Wait
in Line for the December 2013 Food Distribution
It truly does “take a village.” Entrepreneur,
Mark Choe, for example, owner of
(Continued on Page 3)
GAZETTE COVERS PRESENTATION OF CHECKS TO FAMILIES
IN PINEY BRANCH FIRE
ACSGW Helps Displaced Residents of Apartment Fire and Conducts
Holiday Food Drive
T
he Gazette covered ACSGW
projects in November 2013 and
highlighted checks presented to
families displaced by an August
Forest Park Apartment fire and
participation in Montgomery County’s
Holiday Giving Project.
Checks for more than $700 were
provided to 27 families who were
affected by the fire in Silver Spring.
Photo by Greg Dohler of the Gazette
“Now I can’t work, and I am really
happy *because+ this check is a big help. It is going to pay this
month’s rent,” said Flor Ventura Pacheco, one resident who was displaced by the fire.
Pacheco is pictured on the left in the photo. The financial assistance resulted from the
combined efforts of ACSGW and Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church. See link for more
details and information about both projects:
http://www.gazette.net/article/20131204/NEWS/131209565/0/gazette&template=gazette.
B OARD OF D IRECTORS
Zundel Ackie, Frank Bondurant, Stephen F. Brennwald, Gaspar Colon, Sharon Cress, Helen Dundon,
Kenneth Flemmer, Sheila Schlisner Hendricks, Christina M. Hudgins, Gary Krause, Allan Manuel,
Venice Mundle-Harvey, Les Pitton, Maharajan Ponraj, John Reed, Josh Rosales, Terry Seamens
ACSGW C LIENT “P AYS I T F ORWARD ”
I
n an Interview in December, Gladys Harvey, a senior citizen living in the Takoma Park community and a client of
ACSGW, couldn’t stop praising ACSGW for the help it has provided her, is also in the business of helping others.
She is an ordained minister. In fact, when she answered the phone for the interview, she had been working on “this
Sunday’s sermon.”
Although she would probably not describe it as "paying
it forward,” Gladys volunteers at ACSGW in the busiest
of seasons because she believes in giving back. Even
when experiencing hard times herself, Gladys never lets
an opportunity to volunteer pass her by.
Gladys shared that many
times after paying for rent
and utilities, there was very
little left from her Social
Security check for food.
Although things are better now, Gladys shared that many times after paying for rent
and utilities, there was very little left from her Social Security check for food. “The hard
times can be relentless, and sometimes all I could do was just sit down and cry. I depended on Adventist Community Services every month when I didn’t have enough,” she
continued, and added that she still takes advantage of ACSGW’s help at
Thanksgiving.
Gladys has had careers in nursing and teaching and has raised a large family. But
illness and a back injury led to job loss and limited income in her senior years. For a
number of years Gladys has been overseer and elder of a local Church of God in Christ congregation and is soon to
be made Assistant Minister.
At the end of the conversation just before we hung up, out of curiosity I asked “What’s the title of your sermon for
Sunday, Gladys?” “Stop Worrying,” she responded. "It’s about how God will see you through.”
—Alicia Tucker, Editor
E NVIRONMENTAL S TEWARDSHIP — A S HARED P RIORITY
Since September 2012, the Green Team Ministry at Takoma Park Seventh-day Adventist Church has made significant
progress towards advancing its mission: to educate, advocate, and apply biblical principles that encourage responsible management of the earth’s natural resources. The Green Team promotes living by the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse,
and Recycle. Early in its ministry, the Green Team’s recycling program at the church facilities resulted in significant
waste reduction. The Takoma Park church is an ACSGW supporting church.
Shirley Reed, who heads the church's Green Team Ministry, draws from her Christian roots and the book of Genesis
where “God gave man dominion over all living things,” as she shared in a recent interview; and she believes this is a
mandate for us to become serious stewards of the environment. Shirley also draws inspiration from memories of
the once pristine beauty of the Deep South, where she was raised, and from Rachel Carson, a conservationist in the
1950’s-1960’s and author of the best-selling book, Silent Spring. The team is seeking committed volunteers. Email
greenteam@thetpchurch.org for more information.
Concurrently, ACSGW also engages in “green” practices. It has been recycling and donating computers to help avoid
adding to the mass accumulation of discarded technological equipment in the environment (see related article on
Page 4). Recently, staff retrieved used computers from Jim Lanning of International Relief and Development, which
are being refurbished for a local nonprofit computer lab. PLEASE DONATE YOUR USED COMPUTERS to ACSGW. Call
301-585-6556 for more information.
—Shirley Reed and Alicia Tucker
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F OOD B ASKETS H ELP H UNDREDS C ELEBRATE H OLIDAYS
(Continued from Page 1)
Mark’s Kitchen in Takoma Park,
supported the effort (see Page 4)
as well as the Steve Francis
Foundation, Sligo Seventh-day
Adventist Church, other supporting
churches and many individuals
who gave generously.
ACSGW partnered with the
Montgomery County Holiday
Giving Project to help make the
food drive a success. Pictured
above right are the Holiday Giving Project Zip Code Coordinators with the County Executive, Ike Leggett. Sligo Seventhday Adventist Church members donated an enormous amount of food, below left. Pictured below right is
George Randolph of the Steve Francis Foundation presenting a check to ACSGW Director, Sheila Schlisner Hendricks.
ACSGW C ELEBRATES WITH H OLIDAY L UNCHES
W EB K IDS P ROGRAM
Thanks to Vee Akehurst, Executive Assistant, for planning and preparing a
holiday lunch on December 16, 2013, at the Takoma Park Seventh-day
Adventist Church. The lunch was in honor of ACSGW staff and volunteers for all
their hard work during the year. And thank you to Vee’s family who helped her
prepare all the food and the program for the event, as well as the church for
providing the space to hold the event. Vee also organized a Thanksgiving pot
luck held at ACSGW.
ACSGW is sponsoring an after
school program for students in
Montgomery County ages 10 and
up. The program offers help with
homework, computer skills training
and help building a website. It
meets Mondays and Wednesdays
at ACSGW, 3-6:00 p.m. through
June 2014. The cost is $50/week.
Volunteers and staff contribute a great deal of time, especially during the
holiday season. Extra effort is required unloading and sorting donated food,
filling bags and keeping track of quantities as well as the challenges presented
in distributing the food packages to clients.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL
webkids@acsgw.org.
RECYCLED COMPUTERS FOR REBUILDING TOGETHER
In November 2013 two rebuilt computers loaded with software were presented to
Christina Johnson, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together of Montgomery
County, left in the photo. The equipment was presented by ACSGW’s Executive
Director, Sheila Schlisner Hendricks, right, and Kevin Ferguson, IT Administration,
back. ACSGW rebuilds donated computers for low-income individuals and local nonprofits. Rebuilding Together provides repairs, accessibility modifications and energy
efficient upgrades to homes and community centers in the County at no cost.
Toys-for-Tots Tops off the Season
As a part of ACSGW’s participation in the Montgomery County Holiday Giving Project, over 800 children
received toys in December 2013. Toys are provided by Toys for Tots. Thanks to the hard work of Pat Tyser,
John Reed, Deon Wright and Robin Taylor, toys were transported from the Toys for Tots Gaithersburg warehouse
to the Takoma Park Seventh-day Adventist church, and distributed to families in the Takoma Park area.
F UN F UNDRAISER —L UNCH
AT
M ARK ’ S K ITCHEN
Last November patrons of Mark’s Kitchen restaurant in Takoma Park
helped feed hungry families in the community at Thanksgiving by dining on
Asian and American cuisine. Five percent of one day’s revenue was donated for ACSGW’s annual holiday food project.
Mark Choe, Owner, far left,
paused for a snapshot with
ACSGW staff. Next to Mark,
left to right, are John Reed,
Pat Tyser and Vee Akehurst. Local Seventh-day Adventist pastors were
also among the many supporters of the fundraiser. Pictured to the right,
left to right, are Pastors Lopez, Tapp, McFarlane and Esposito.
CONTACTS:
The following staff members may be contacted by calling
301-585-6556.
Sheila Schlisner Hendricks, Executive Director
Pat Tyser, Administrative Officer
Vee Akehurst, Executive Assistant
Kevin Ferguson, Education Programs, IT
John Reed, Program Coordinator
Joyce Seamens, Food, Clothing, Health and Wellness
Alicia Tucker, Communications
Community Connections
Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington
501 Sligo Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
www.acsgw.org
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