| Dear Friends,
We are collecting bags of non-perishable food items for the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Each year, we distribute nearly 3,000 bags of groceries in Lancaster County, New York City, Philadelphia and Reading for use in local church ministries. The need is great and we will distribute even more bags than this if we get them. Andrew Nunez, pastor of Believers Mennonite Garifuna Ministries in Brooklyn, New York, recently helped to distribute a donation of MCC grocery bags to people in need in his congregation and community. Nunez says that community members who received bags were grateful for this assistance, which helped them provide food for their families and put money they would otherwise have spent on food toward monthly bills. "The people in our community expressed gratefulness for the grocery bags they received," Nunez says. "They asked, when will we give out grocery bags again?" Packing and distributing grocery bags provides a unique opportunity for rural, suburban and urban congregations to connect in their ministries. This project can be a meaningful service activity for youth groups and others seeking to connect with community ministries throughout the region. Bag contents: vegetable oil (32 oz.) pasta (2 lbs.) raisins (1 lb.) white rice (32 oz.) 2 cans meat (chicken or tuna) (12oz.) 1 can tomato sauce (15 oz.) 2 cans fruit (14 - 20 oz.) 2 cans vegetables (14 - 16 oz.) 2 cans beans (15.5 oz.) 1 box of cereal (14 - 18 oz.) peanut butter (28 oz.) In order to distribute the groceries on time, we need to receive the filled bags by Monday, Nov. 17, 2014. Please contact the Ephrata Material Resources Center at 717-733-2847 or EastCoastMRC@mcc.org with questions or to coordinate your donation. Thank you for contributing to MCC's work in the name of Christ. NOTE: Please double bag and make sure that all contents fit into the bag. This will help with quality handling. Empty grocery bags are available at the MRC. | 
