NEWS
Special Events take a back seat to COVID caution
Our first priority is always to assure the health and safety of all our friends, and to that end, we are following CDC guidelines that limit the size of public gatherings in the coming months. The tournament and trivia night are the two major fundraising events Circle conducts each year. If either are the opportunity by which you normally support Circle, we invite you to still contribute by donating here, and then access the Missouri Food Pantry Tax Credit for the full value of your gift. We welcome your support and look forward to bringing these events back in 2021!...
Veteran Volunteer
Dennis R. began his volunteer career at Circle of Concern in 2011, but his commitment to service predates Circle’s launch in 1967. For him, 1966 was the year he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, motivated to guard the people of South Vietnam from the encroachment of communism from the north. While in-country near the border of North Vietnam, Dennis experienced the hell of war first-hand many times. “It was bad over there,” he says, and he has the stories to prove it. He witnessed explosions and gunfire, destruction and deaths of comrades-in-arms. On one fateful day, he and others...
A Letter from Cyndi Miller
Dear Friends, At this writing, just weeks into a new decade, the hustle and bustle of the holidays is long behind us. Having now reviewed a snapshot of the 2019 year-end financials, our Board of Directors will soon approve our 2020 budget, allowing for, among other things, increases to both our Scholarship and Summer Opportunities programs. These efforts support area youngsters and young adults in their journey toward independence, self-reliance and – adulthood. We think that every young person should experience the joy of summer camp, and the challenge of college or trade courses to discover their strengths and abilities,...
Mark Your Calendar for Circle of Concern Golf Tournament & Trivia Night 2020
Mark your calendars! The dates are set for Circle’s two biggest fundraisers of the year, and we want you to attend. Join us on the links for Circle’s annual golf tournament at Aberdeen Golf Club on May 18th. Then, come out again in the Fall for a Harvest Moon Trivia Night on September 18th at Andre’s West in Fenton. Both events are a great deal of fun, but more importantly they help us raise funds that support our food pantry and various programs. Monies raised from these events go directly to services that benefit our clients. There are a number...
The Greatest Gift!
A stockpot, a log-splitter, an eyeglass repair kit, a warm blanket – these are just a few of the items on the wish lists that client-families have submitted to Circle of Concern’s Holiday Adoption program. In each case—and in many more—friends in the community have responded with great generosity, and we hope this year we can once again count on your support as we embark on another season of giving. Last year, 538 families were adopted through Circle’s holiday adoption program. This year, we will have even more. Will you (or your business, church, club or group) consider adopting one...
Thanks for Giving!
In addition to the regular groceries we provide to our client families each month, Circle of Concern provides a Thanksgiving Basket to all of our clients and their families for Thanksgiving dinner. Your gifts of food and funds help us offer Thanksgiving dinner to 550 families plus share food with nearly 2,000 people each month. Thanksgiving Items: Your Cash Donation helps us purchase turkeys! Cornbread Mix Boxed/Bagged Stuffing Cranberry Sauce Canned Fruit and Canned Pumpkin Jello Gelatin Turkey gravy (Canned) Chicken/Turkey Broth Canned Vegetables (peas, carrots, mixed veggies) Yams/Canned Sweet Potatoes Canned Milk (evaporated or sweetened condensed) Is your group...
Give and Get in Return
Time is quickly running out as Missouri’s Food Pantry Tax Credit is set to expire December 31, 2019. Read more about how you to still qualify for a tax credit on your donation to Circle. Gifts of cash or food to food pantries given through 2019 will qualify for tax credits. A “50 percent” tax credit program, credits of up to $2,500 for single filers or $5,000 for joint filers are available. Call us to complete a tax credit form to verify your contributions. We will return it to you to be attached to your Missouri state income tax form...
That’s a lotta pasta!
We recently put out an SOS call on Facebook upon reaching critically low supplies of pasta sauce and pasta, and our friends in the community stepped up in a way we could never have imagined. Our pantry director Michelle Lepak was thrilled upon receiving approximately 2,500 pounds of donations – more than $4,000 worth of groceries that directly benefit Circle clients! Thank you to everyone who helped support this effort. Information about food and in-kind giving and our specific needs is available on our website: http://www.circleofconcern.org/ways-to-help/food-in-kind-giving/. October 2019 E-News: Holiday Adoption Thanksgiving Donations Tax Credit Pasta Drive Results
Shine On, Harvest Moon!
Farm stands and the full harvest moon are markers of the turn of the year. Fold in a Friday the 13th, and you’ve got magic! That’s exactly what you’ll find at Circle’s Harvest Moon Trivia Night on Friday, September 13! Registration is now open for this popular event. Besides ten rounds of challenging trivia, a couple of features are new this year. First, we’ve moved! This year’s event will take place at Andre’s West in Fenton (211 S. Old Highway 141), giving your team plenty of space to play. Other big news is that your admission price of $30 includes...
Gathered Around the Table
A new client usually walks into Circle of Concern alone. Anxious, desperate and maybe embarrassed about needing help, new people often feel like they are alone at the bottom of a well of sadness. From that point, though, clients aren’t isolated anymore, thanks to a wellspring of volunteer help with food and programs, along with our staff that lines up resources. The circle is bigger than that, though. Along with our generous donors in the community, a critical group, of which Circle is a member, is working behind the scenes to serve families impacted by hunger and poverty across the...
