Outreach Ministries

Altrusa of Door County – Back to School Fair

Altrusa of Door County is committed to making Door County a better community in which to live by offering programs for improving and increasing literacy for area children and their families, as well as other vulnerable populations.  It is part of a worldwide organization of community volunteers   Church of the Atonement supports Altrusa’s annual Back to School Fair created in 1998 to assist children and families in Door County be ready for the first day of school. In August, a special day is set aside for these children to receive grade level school supplies, backpacks, toiletries, school spirit wear, shoes, socks, underwear, and a pleasure reading book.  In 2019 over 600 children participated in the fair.  In August, 2020, the fair had to be cancelled because of the pandemic.  Instead letters were sent to parents of the 850 children qualified for assistance and 820 responses were received as of August 6th.  Each of the 820 children has received a voucher for a pair of shoes and socks and a gift card of $35 or $50 for school supplies, depending on their age, plus payment of required school registration fees.                             

http://www.altrusaofdoorcounty.org/ 

Door County Secret Santa

The mission of Door County Secret Santa is to raise money to anonymously pay heating bills for Door County families in need. Families in need of assistance are identified and nominated by churches, schools, social service agencies and concerned community members. Door County Secret Santa pays the heating company directly and on the day of Christmas Eve delivers to each family a receipt for the $500 payment. 52 families received these gifts in 2019. Volunteers staff the program.

https://www.facebook.com/doorcountysecretsanta/

Help of Door County

Help of Door County provides services and programs throughout the Door County Peninsula to victims of domestic abuse. Its mission is to eliminate domestic abuse through prevention and intervention services and to advocate for social change.  Domestic violence - spouse abuse, child abuse, elder abuse - is a big issue in Door County, and Help is one of the few resources available to victims. Help does not provide counseling but does provide three full-time, professionally trained staff to listen without judgment, support without blaming, and empower victims through advocacy and information. All victim services are free and confidential.  Because of Covid-19, new issues emerged in 2020. Preemptively, Help contacted clients, handed out burner phones and provided advice, especially where there was a risk of lethality. But calls were lighter while people were trapped at home. Day care collapsed as physical distancing became critical to follow. As the county opened, many people reached out for help, but safe, affordable housing became scarce. With the arrival of tourists, the price of motel rooms escalated and only a few of Help’s partners continued to offer discounted rooms.  In some cases, Help has had to send victims to available housing in Brown County.

http://helpofdoorcounty.org/

Jak’s Place

Jak’s Place provides a unique local response to the shortage of mental health facilities and practitioners in rural NE WI.  Known as a mental health drop-in center, Jaks Place empowers adults with diagnosed mental illness by building support and providing the resources to move toward recovery.  A program director, 3 part-time staff and volunteers provide programming for 112 participants.  They also provide a weekly dinner and a luncheon.

www.jaks-place.com

Lakeshore Community Action Program (CAP)

Lakeshore CAP’s Door County Food Pantry is a non-sectarian, not-for-profit program that provides on-going and emergency healthy food assistance to low and limited income residents.  The pantry is open every Tuesday and Thursday and serves between 160 and 200 recipients a month.   The pantry is supported by local donations, food drives, Feeding America, USDA’s The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and local growers who make fresh produce available in both Sturgeon Bay and Sister Bay.  Church of the Atonement’s gift is used to purchase food from Feeding America at 22 cents a pound and provides approximately 11,000 servings of largely meat and other protein to local community residents.  CAP’s mission is to increase economic self- sufficiency among those they serve.

https://lakeshorecap.org/door-county-food-pantry/

Northern Door Children’s Center

NDCC is one of only 3 accredited early childhood learning centers in Door County. Founded over 30 years ago, NDCC serves 112 children each year and has classrooms for infants, toddlers, and preschool aged children as well as a pre-kindergarten program for children ages 4 and 5. In addition, they offer after-school and summer programs for children ages 5 to 10 years. All children benefit from consistency and stability, and NDCC is committed to ensure children’s routines are not disrupted when the family has a financial hardship. In addition to using financial contributions to fund scholarships, special focus in the 2020 time of pandemic has been on helping families get resources for food, rent, and utilities.

http://www.northerndoorchildrenscenter.org/

Northern Door Community Thanksgiving Dinner

Several church congregations in Northern Door County provide Thanksgiving Dinner for local residents. Food is purchased, prepared and served by church volunteers and fellowships is shared by all. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the restraints on community gatherings in order to maintain safe physical distancing, innovation and creativity will guide the way of meeting the needs of hungry families in this unusual time.