Mission Share is a collaborative effort of 12 evangelical churches in the Greece area. Each of these churches invests their time and resources to help Mission Share support families in need who reside in the community. Through the ministry partner’s generosity, Mission Share is able to actively demonstrate God’s love in tangible ways to neighbors in Greece, Hilton and Charlotte. The 12 church ministry partners are: Aldersgate United Methodist Church, First Bible Baptist Church, Greece Assembly of God, Journey Christian Church, Lakeshore Community Church, Lakeview Community Church, MorningStar Christian Fellowship Church, New Testament Christian Church, New Way Christian Faith Center, Orchard Community Church, Victory Community Church.
Mission Share began 28 years ago in 1993 as a program within Greece Assembly of God. It started as a Christmas outreach program to help local families in need. From there it expanded into a Food Pantry providing food items to those who needed assistance. In 1994, Mission Share began their Thanksgiving basket program and later that year started their Clothing Closest. The outreach efforts eventually led to a Christmas program for children of incarcerated parents. In 2008 Mission Share became a Non Profit Corporation and the following year they moved into their own leased space at 10 Cedarfield Commons in Greece.
The new location allowed them to expand on the programs they were already offering providing more space for their clothing closet and food pantry. Foods items are donated by the church partners and through Food Link they provide to families in crisis 3 meals a day for 3 days. The clothing center offers donated clothing to an entire family in need from adults to newborns.
In 2011, the Mission Share Outreach Center began Crossroads Pregnancy Care. This program is dedicated to providing compassionate care to pregnant women and their partners while experiencing the crisis of an unexpected pregnancy. The center offers free services ranging from confidential pregnancy tests, information, medical and adoption referrals, comprehensive counseling to support pregnant teens, post abortion care, prenatal and parenting classes, basic food and clothing assistance as well as baby care items.
A Backpack Outreach program was also created. This program provides backpacks filled with school supplies to qualified school age children in the community.
This past summer Mission Share was approached by Wegman’s with an incredibly generous offer to help support their initiatives by enhancing the programs they were offering to the community. Wegmans funded an extensive renovation at their Cedarfield Commons location. The project was completed in early February of this year. With the generosity of Wegmans, Mission Share has an expanded food pantry with better organization and new refrigeration units. This renovation provides the opportunity to offer healthier fresh food options to the community.
A Wellness Center was added with a blood pressure monitor and educational material to help families eat and live healthier. A brand new training center was also opened thanks to Wegmans. The Center has two classrooms and 14 new lap top computers. In March, Mission Share will be offering classes on health and nutrition education, culinary skills, and computer training. The culinary classes will teach families how to prepare customized recipes. Those who attend the cooking classes will go home with bags of the same foods so they can prepare them at home. According to Executive Director Paul Filipiak, “The classes at Mission Share will also help make those who they serve more employable. The culinary training in particular can lead to potential employment culinary programs at Wegmans and Foodlink.”
Eligibility for Mission Share services are based on income. For more information on Mission Share Outreach, to donate, volunteer, or if you are in need of services please visit www.missionshareoutreach.org or call 585-368-0744.
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