Category Archives: Food

Christian Ministries Team Up to Distribute Food Tomorrow, May 23

Allen Schellack, director of Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries.

Three Christian ministries are working together to bring food to those affected by the COVID 19 Pandemic.

 

Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries, Fort Scott Church of the  Nazarene, and Convoy of Hope will be having a food distribution event, Saturday, May 23, from 10 AM to 2 PM at Fort Scott Nazarene, 1728 S Horton.

 

Convoy of Hope is providing the food, the church is providing the distribution place and some volunteers and Allen Schellack, director of Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries, is providing the coordination of the food distribution.

 

The Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene is located at 1728 S. Horton. People should enter off of Horton Street and will pick up food under the canopy on the south side of the church.

 

Food distributed (while supplies last) will include potatoes, bread, eggs, produce, and bottled juice and tea, according to Allen Schellack, director.

Schellack recently completed a Convoy of Hope Zoom training and  on May 20 he was told that food to distribute would be available on May 23.,

Schellack with his son, Dustin, will be picking up the food from the Convoy of Hope hub site in Webb City, MO.

Volunteers are needed on May 23 to help direct traffic for the event, unpack the food, and hand out the food, Schellack said.

Volunteers can call Schellack to schedule a work time at 620-223-2212.

There are no income guidelines to receive the food, nor registration requirements.

“We hope to make this the first of many more events,” Schellack said.

“This is a community event and our vision is to have more churches involved to help serve the community,” he said.

 

Convoy of Hope is a faith-based organization with a driving passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreaches, disaster response and partner resourcing, according to its’ Facebook page.

Schellack is a member of the Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene and members are supporting this outreach as volunteers and allowing the church to be the distribution point.

The mission of Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries is to
 alleviate suffering caused by poverty, and issues relating to poverty, and promote family values through partnership with local and state agencies.
The FSCM Outreach Center is located on the second floor of The Bourbon County Senior Citizens Center, 26 N. Main and was founded in 2014, with Schellack at the director.

Common Ground Coffee Co. offers community a gathering place

Coffee houses have been a gathering place for discussion of ideas since the 1700s. Many great works of historical note have no doubt begun as an idea shared with a friend over a cup of coffee. Noted 18th Century author Alexander Pope decided to be a writer as a child when he saw a famous writer in a London coffee house. However, great things don’t have to be on the scale of An Essay on Man” in order to make big changes, especially ideas developed by the community, for the community. Common Ground Coffee Co. functions in much the same way as coffee shops through history–as a gathering place for the community and surrounding area.

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When one walks through the door of the Common Ground Coffee Co., the customer is immediately surrounded by the welcoming atmosphere of the restored historic downtown building. However, the interior is furnished so nicely that the shop wouldn’t be out of place in a trendy area of Kansas City. Several of the walls have been repaired with fresh sheet rock and painted in neutral and jewel tones, and others have been re-covered with weathered wood, lending a tasteful variety to the appearance of the shop. Hanging light fixtures lend the perfect amount of light for reading without being harsh or overbearing. Comfortable couches are scattered on either side of the main seating area of tables and chairs, and in one corner, a display of oil paintings catches the eye. According to Manager Tyler Hazen, the goal was to personalize the setting in order to set it apart from the look of corporate shops. He said that the goal was to create a comfortable, neutral setting in which people could express themselves.

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When asked if Common Ground Coffee Co. might become a place of gathering for thinkers and creative minds, Hazen said, “I think it has been already.” The coffee shop hosts everything from live music to poetry nights, allowing local talent to present their creative work. When asked where the capital and materials came from to start Common Ground Coffee Co., Hazen said, “This was all donation. Once we start building [the business], hopefully we can give back to the community.”

Events planned for summer include live music on Friday nights, starting in July.