131 years after the church began, it opened Warm Welcome, a daytime center for houseless people to find community and a cup of coffee. It soon became apparent that the houseless people needed more than just a cup of coffee. They needed food. And for those who worked odd jobs, they needed supplemental food accessible at a variety of hours.

Warm Welcome morphed into a Food Pantry open 4 days a week including Saturdays. That same year, the Clothing Bank joined the food pantry. Also that year, the need to support local school children with both school supplies and Christmas gifts became apparent. And so the church began the C.H.I.L.D. ministry (Christ’s Hands In Loving Devotion.) It provided (and still provides) a backpack of grade appropriate school supplies + 1 complete change of clothes before the start of the school year, AND gifts, toys, and another complete outfit at Christmas time.

Requests for food for pets turned into a partnership with Animal Haven by the Sea, so in addition to picking up food for themselves, care-receivers could get food for their animals.

Another need became apparent. Seniors needed a place to congregate for an inexpensive yet nourishing luncheon in community, and home bound seniors needed the same lunch delivered to them. These dual needs birthed Nehalem Senior Lunches. 

A governmental program to provide lunches to school children during the summertime (Munch-a-Lunch) proved so full of regulations that it was unworkable for a rural community. And so the church began the Munch-a-Lunch ministry, to deliver bagged lunches to kids in the Neah-kah-nie school district.

Chair Exercise began twice weekly, providing FREE chair exercise for seniors for 45 minutes twice weekly.

The church’s many ministries spun off to form the Nehalem Bay Community Services (Food pantry, Clothing Bank, Nehalem Senior Meals, Munch-A-Lunch, C.H.I.L.D. and Chair Exercise). By incorporating as a not-for-profit (501(c)3) the entire community is now actively serving those in need in our community and in our region.

Our volunteers, donors, and community are helping us write the next chapter for Nehalem Bay Community Services. To be continued…