On August 1, The Lighthouse met with the community at an event aimed at sharing community resources. As we announced in last month’s newsletter, the primary purpose was to distribute shoes led by global ministry Samaritan’s Feet. However, event host University of Lynchburg, partnered with One Community One Voice (OCOV) and The Lighthouse to bring in additional resources to confront community challenges brought on by the pandemic. Representatives from over 20 organizations were in attendance!
Through combined fundraising efforts, The Lighthouse and event partners raised enough money for 400 pairs of shoes, over 300 of which were distributed at the event, according to OCOV founder James Camm. OCOV also provided backpacks and filled them with school supplies. Other organizations distributed their own resources as well as information about their services and employment opportunities.
As an individual contribution, The Lighthouse tent was designed to provide clothing vouchers for Goodwill and to introduce families to the Lighthouse clothing closet. We wrote 75 vouchers, each written in an individual child’s name, which permitted up to five no-cost shirts, pairs of pants, and an additional pair of shoes.
