Located in Bonita Springs, the Café of Life provides hot meals, a food pantry and clothing, Monday through Friday mornings. 90% of its clients are working poor families and 10% are homeless. For additional information or to volunteer, please contact Eliza Nevin at [email protected] or www.cafeoflife.org

The CIW Fair Food Program is a unique partnership among farmers, farm workers, and retail food companies that ensures humane wages and working conditions for the workers who pick fruits and vegetables on participating farms. For more information, please visit the websites at www.ciw-online.org and www.allianceforfairfood.org

Located in North Fort Myers, ECHO empowers small-scale farmers to increase their harvests and the nutritional diversity of their crops. They educate, equip, and share sustainable solutions, which in turn, promote sustainable farming techniques, nutritional plants, and appropriate technologies. For additional information, contact Mike Smith at [email protected] or visit www.echonet.org

(HFH Collier) is part of a global, nonprofit organization that puts God’s love into action by building homes, communities, and hope. Habitat was founded on the conviction that every man, woman, and child should have decent housing—a place where they can live in dignity and safety. VPC has supported Habitat financially and with volunteers on their construction sites. A group of dedicated men and women meet at church each Wednesday morning from October through April and take the church van/bus to Habitat building contact John Paalman at [email protected] or visit www.habitat.org

Feed 5000 at VPC supports the Collier Harvest (CH) Mission Program which provides nutritious food to our hungry neighbors in Collier County. This county based outreach program began in 1992 and receives no government funding. For further information or to volunteer, please contact VPC Deacon Stephen Schock

Based in Naples, Helps Outreach focuses on providing assistance with basic needs to people in the Naples’ community who cannot make it on their own on either short or long term basis. They distribute food and household items and provide services to families—all without charge. For additional information or to volunteer, contact Ruth Brinster at [email protected] or visit www.helpsoutreachinc.org

A faith-based mission set up to empower at-risk children, first generation Americans, to reach their full potential through tutoring, mentoring and understanding their faith. This program provides over 100,000 hours of after school tutoring and mentoring annually at no cost to the families. For additional information or to volunteer, please contact VPC Mission Team Member Eliza Nevin at: [email protected] or visit the New Horizons website at: www.guidestar.org

At the Neighborhood Health Clinic (NHC) more than 700 volunteers from doctors and nurses to dentists and dental hygienist to non-medical and office staff, provide quality medical and dental care to low-income, working, but uninsured Collier County adults. For additional information, please contact Marcie Burland at: [email protected] or visit the NHC website at: www.neighborhoodhealthclinic.org

Located in Immokalee, Misión Peniel is funded by our Peace River Presbytery to address the isolation and injustice among the migrant farm workers in Immokalee, Florida and provides support to them through spiritual and material care. Each Friday volunteers from churches in Peace River Presbytery serve at Misión Peniel to provide a hot meal, distribute nonperishable foods, supplies, and clothing to the people of the community. Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church is an active participant in this mission, serving on five or six Friday afternoons a year, as well as at other ministries and events during the week when needed. For more information or to volunteer contact Pete Rodino at [email protected] or visit www.misionpeniel.com

St. Matthew’s House, located in Naples, has a mission to change lives in an environment that is both compassionate and disciplined, as well as provide housing for the homeless and food for the needy. It is in the business of transforming lives by offering preventative and structured recovery services. The shelter is almost always at capacity, quite often including families with young children. To volunteer to help serve lunch or dinner to the residents (food provided by St. Matthew’s) please contact St. Matthews House at: [email protected]

VPC supports The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree in December and Camp Keystone for Immokalee Children in summer. Sponsoring a child at summer camp has a profound positive effect, especially on those who are the poorest of the poor and 7 to 12 years old. Most of these children are from the families of migrant farm workers and from other low income families. Their camp experience helps them grow, learn, and encourages them, while striving to meet their spiritual, social, and educational needs. For additional information, contact Richard Grunert at [email protected] or visit www.salvationarmyusa.org

Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church supplies food to 45-50 homeless, school age children for the weekends during the school year. The Power Packs contain two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners and four snacks and are placed in the children’s backpacks by the Guidance Counselor before they leave school on Friday. Volunteers can help by assembling the bags of food for the children, and contributing financially toward the cost of food for the backpacks. Please contact Cherie Baines at [email protected] to participate.