L to R: K. Guthrie, S. Green, S. Young and J. Kwoka. Photo provided.
Niagara County– Saturdays are usually a day to conquer personal chores or relax just a bit, but that was not the case for some CSEA members last weekend. On June 10, CSEA Niagara County Unit members decidedly rolled up their sleeves and delivered on one more volunteer promise to make sure their community becomes the best it can be.
Word on the street told a troubling tale– a local church in Niagara Falls who administers assistance to challenged families was low on donations and was looking for some help. CSEA members didn’t give it a second thought, and put a mobilization plan into action to make sure area residents would get the support they so desperately deserve.
The Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, at 1010 Michigan Avenue in Niagara Falls has been operating a Sharing Center since January 2017. It is designed to help local families who are struggling with basic necessities. The Sharing Center is open every other Saturday when members of the community can visit the church from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and browse for essential items with no fees or strings attached.
In less than a month, CSEA members stepped up big time on the second Saturday in June and delivered more than three truck loads of household items, furniture, gently used clothing and children’s toys. A small committee of union activists managed the effort, advertising at all the county departments and setting up donation drop-off locations at various sites around the county. Some of the families who visited the Sharing Center on June 10 were having a hard time trying to make ends meet. One family was trying to recover after losing everything in a house fire.
Unit President Sue Young, who also doubles as the President of Niagara County Local 832, says her co-workers are just an incredibly compassionate bunch of people and are always willing to go the extra mile.
Young said, “We reached out to membership in a variety of ways. We got the word out quickly and set up donation drop-off locations to make it easy for collection. Kelly Guthrie is a master organizer, and did a great job with this effort. I can’t say enough about my fellow co-workers. It felt really good delivering the items to the Sharing Center knowing full well they will be put to good use. It was another job well done by CSEA.”
Other CSEA members who helped deliver items to the church on June 10 included Niagara County employees Samantha Green and Jill Kwoka.
Niagara Falls– On June 10, CSEA members from Niagara County donated more than three truck loads of donations to the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church on Michigan Avenue. Photo provided.
-Ove Overmyer
