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As the days have started to warm up and the flowers are beginning to bloom, we've been busy with spring cleaning at Park View Community Mission. There has been a lot of renovations and changes that have taken place as our organization has continued to blossom and grow this spring. We cannot wait to catch you up with everything that's been happening!
What Have We Been Up To?
Food for Thought Expands

When Food for Thought began as an extended program of Park View, we put up signs to represent the five schools we were partnering with to provide food for the weekend. Since September when it began, we have added eight more signs to our wall. It continues to blow our minds at the speed that this program has grown as its reach has extended into several other school systems. It's obvious that this is such a need in the city as we have gone from five to thirteen in the span of seven months. Thank you to everyone who has put their time, money, and support into this program that continues to impact our community!
New Volunteer Space
Finally, a space completely devoted to our volunteers! Rachel Koenig, our Food for Families director, has been hard at work fixing up this space so our volunteers have a place to meet, put their personal items, and feel invited and welcomed like they deserve.

While this is only the tip of expressing our appreciation, we feel like it is important to honor each of our volunteers with a space where they feel valued. Come stop by and check it out!
Distribution Hours are Changing
Mark your calendars! Starting April 11th , our Thursday distribution times are changing from 2- 4pm to 12- 2pm. While our Food for Families Pantry has been doing late afternoon distribution for years now, it has come to our attention that doing it later wasn't the best fit for many of our neighbors. Our new hours, from 12- 2pm, work better for volunteers as we clean and wrap up earlier and for those who need to be home when their children arrive home from school. As we continue to grow, it's important that we evaluate what works and what changes should be made so that we can best serve our community.
Upcoming Events
Volunteer Dinner

Will you be our guest of honor? We want to be able to serve YOU. This year our volunteer dinner will be on April 28th , so mark your calendars! Let's come together to celebrate the accomplishments that have taken place this year because of the hard working, caring individuals that volunteer. (More details to follow!)
Golf Tournament
The Golf Tournament is in full swing!

We have a majority of our team spots filled up so if you're looking to sign up, make sure to do it soon! We have been hard at work gathering a wide collection of prizes and auction items such as a Moore & Giles leather bag and Two Nights Stay at the Natural Bridge Historic Hotel and Conference Center. If you're interested in sponsoring or signing up your team, click the link below for more information and registration!

Music for the Mission Benefit Concert 
Fort Hill United Methodist Church is hosting a free concert with all freewill donations going to Park View Community Mission! Make plans to come and enjoy an afternoon of music provided by many Lynchburg musicians. There will be singers, handbell ringers, a brass quintet, string quartet, harpist, pianists, organists, and the Children’s Choir from West Lynchburg Baptist Church .

The concert is free and open to the public, so invite your family and friends to join you April 28th, 3-5pm at Fort Hill United Methodist Church .
Faces of Park View
This year we want to showcase all the wonderful people that come through our doors and the amazing stories they carry with them. Whether its a volunteer, neighbor, staff member or partner, we hope you enjoy meeting the faces of Park View!
Meet Brittany

You might recognize Brittany as the face of our new Community Resource Center, but she has been playing the role of community resource much longer then her beginning with Park View Community Mission!

Brittany holds a powerful testimony as she raised her daughter as a single mother at the age of 18 years old. It’s because of her story that she now has a passion to connect with single parents and struggling families to bridge them to potential resources that could be available for them. In 2009 she began meeting with a fellow single mother and that relationship soon blossomed into a partnered ministry for single parents and a support system that helped to fill in the gaps. Since then, Brittany’s passion for her community and connecting and building relationships with those who need help still burns strong. She now has her own ministry called PURE (Purpose, Under Reconstruction, Embraced) which isn’t exclusive to single parents but includes the family unit.

Her focus is to be a living resource to those who need it with a vision of bringing unity to the community. She has created relationships with people and has surrounded herself with organizations that share the same vision. “I came from the bottom, not knowing how anything worked. I want to help individuals by connecting them with organizations because I got help from them when I needed it. I’ve been there”. Brittany strongly believes that the best way to reach the city is a unified approach, by meeting the needs together. “If we can see the community as one, we build it up from all sides and aren’t divided; give until you can’t give anymore, and then give more”.

Since being at Park View, Brittany has been able to merge her passion of connection into a position and has embodied the title of Community Resource Coordinator. We are so thankful that we found her! 
Park View Cafe Schedule

Thank you to the following groups who have served at the Park View Cafe and helped us to create a culture of love and hope for our neighbors:

The Well Church, Bedrock Church, Timberlake UMC, W. Lynchburg Baptist

And we are looking forward to the following groups coming to serve with us this coming month: Amelon UMC, Ctr. Counsel, U. of Lynchburg, LUF & CSHS
Community Collaboration
Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation
Park View Community Mission was awarded a $3000 grant for its food pantry in March, and it came with an added bonus. The “Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation” provided the grant money along with 20 new shopping carts! The carts are being used in our Food For Families program, where those who are in need can choose food items from the self-serve pantry. This is the second year that Food Lion has made such a contribution. A huge thank you to Food Lion!
Communities Working Together
There was a young single mother of three children that recently came through our doors in need of Pampers and warm coats for her kids. Brittany, from our Community Resource Center, was able to strike up a conversation but the mother, as many people are at first, was hesitant to express her personal needs. She was also in need of a winter coat but was only asking for her children to receive ones. It just so happened that week, because of a generous donation, we were able to purchase over 20 coats in all sizes and had also received generous donations from Human Kind including brand new gloves, hats, and scarves. Brittany was able to give her not only coats, but gloves, hats, and scarves for the children. There were no women coats to offer but she was willing to take a warm men's coat for the time being.

A couple days later there was a women's coat and hat dropped off that was just her size. Brittany was able to contact her and she came back in to try the jacket on. It was a PERFECT fit and she loved it! Not only were they able to get warm coats, but also shoes, personal care items, Pull Ups, and food. She was very reluctant to ask for help at first but how amazing it was that we were able play a part in helping bring down her walls and assist her in such a big way only because of the support from the community coming together and providing her needs. Thank you to all of our donors and Humankind for partnering with us in making a difference.
Get Involved
A Need for Home Essentials

Did you know that a number of the people we serve come from generational poverty? This means that families, for generations, have been living in patterns and habits that have kept them in a cycle of poverty. This may simply be because they have not had others in their life to speak truth, hope, and potential into them. Many have never been taught basic home essentials education from family or friends. Some people don't know how to do laundry or cook a healthy meal. We want to change that. We will soon be expanding our home essentials program which will includes classes on personal finance, house cleaning, laundry, healthy cooking and first aid. If you have a passion for any of these areas and would like to see how you can be involved email here or call 434-851-2239!
Donations Needed:
Paper Towels
Soap
Shampoo
Toothpaste
Razors
Shaving Cream
Feminine products 
Deodorant
Baby Wipes
Laundry Detergent
Dish Detergent
Generic Spray Cleaners
Toothbrushes
Please join us in praying for God's wisdom, direction and provision.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me .
Park View Community Mission
Programs & Contact Info.
Food for Families
Food for Thought
Community Resource Center
Life Skills Institute
Park View Cafe
Executive Director
Rachel Koenig
Laura Bauer
Brittany Melvin
Brittany Melvin
Justine Kiger
Gordy Harper
Connect with Us!