Kitchen Cupboard

Many hands make light work. On the last Sunday of each month we collect donations of money, non-perishable food items, toiletries, and diapers for the Ithaca Kitchen Cupboard, a community food pantry located in the Salvation Army building. The food pantry is supported by fourteen local congregations and is the major on-going activity of Area Congregations Together. We also provide two or three individuals on the third Friday of each month to bag three-day supplies of food for families in need. New workers are always welcome and we provide a quick on-the-job training. Commitment: an occasional Friday from 1:15 till 3 pm, as your schedule allows. Contact Sue Hemsath or Amanda Ufford.

For more information, see Kitchen Cupboard.

The Friendship Center Lunches 

The first Thursday of each month, a number of members and friends of First Baptist gather in the kitchen to make sandwiches, which are then delivered, along with apples and snacks, to the Friendship Center. The Friendship Center, a program of the Ithaca Rescue Missio, provides a safe place out of the elements that is open to all, serving three meals daily.

Tompkins County Worker’s Center

As a member of the Tompkins Counter Worker’s Center, First Baptist Church has confirmed it’s position that:

  • We all deserve to have good jobs with good wages so we can live decently.
  • We all deserve rights and fair treatment as workers.
  • Healthcare is a right – everybody should have affordable and comprehensive access to it.
  • We all deserve livable and affordable housing

For more information, see Tompkins County Worker’s Center.

The Tim Hembrooke Community Dinner 

The Tim Hembrooke Community Dinner allows First Baptist to share a holiday meal with less fortunate families in the local community. The meal, typically held a few weeks before Christmas in December each year, is usually accompanied by a short musical program and gift-giving to all children in attendance.

The dinner is named in honor of Tim Hembrooke, a member of the First Baptist community who cooked much of the meal for this event several years before his untimely death.

For more details, contact Baruch Whitehead or Steve Farrell.

The Giving Tree

A holiday giving opportunity in mid November and early December to local families. A tagged tree is set up in the sanctuary listing items that would help make the Christmas Holidays more festive for less advantaged families. Along with children’s gifts of clothing and toys, we also make and fill gift bags for moms and dads. In the past few years we have done this through Enfield Elementary School, where there is often a great need. Coordinators: Sue Hemsath and Linda Caughey.