MISSIONS and OUTREACH

The Children's Hunger Project - The Hunger Project provides packets of food each weekend during the school year to students identified by his/her school as coming to school hungry on Monday mornings. They also provide food packets to be given out at the summer "Feed and Read" program. Volunteers are needed for upcoming food packing events that are TBD.

South Brevard Sharing Center and WE CAN - The Sharing Center provides food, clothing, rent, mortgage, utilities, transportation, and employment referral assistance to families in need. Each week, we ask each person who attends First Church to bring a nonperishable food item for our "We Can" program. Each year, our goal is to donate 10,000 items. We invite you to participate. Volunteers from First Church also help at the Sharing Center with stocking shelves. Volunteers are needed!       

The Daily Bread - This organization provides hot lunches for the poor and/or homeless. Other services are also provided for this population. Our church provides a team of workers to cook and serve meals on the second Friday of each month. New volunteers to the team are always welcome!

Family Promise - First Church is one of thirteen host churches for Family Promise in Brevard County. Once a quarter, our church hosts up to five families in transition - limited to fourteen people. We provide an evening meal, fellowship, an assigned sleeping room for each family, breakfast, and a sack lunch. It takes a team of volunteers for each week to run smoothly.

University Park Elementary - First Church began a partnership with UPE several years ago. The staff and students are supported with school supplies and backpack donations, teacher appreciation luncheons, and more. There are many ways to get involved, including:

• Volunteer in the Classroom
• Work with 1st Grade students in Accelerated Reading
• Work with upper grade students in Accelerated Math
• Mentor - meeting with a student once a week
• Student Registration assistance if needed
• Provide food and volunteer for special meals for staff - We provide food and volunteers for a welcome back breakfast in August, a Christmas/Holiday luncheon in December, Valentine's Day cookies in February, treats throughout the Staff Appreciation Week in May, and ice cream and yogurt delivered to teachers on their last teacher workday of the school year.
• For the Kids - We provide a safe Halloween Trunk-or-Treat and Spring Fling events.
• Workdays at the school to clean up the building and grounds
• Panda Store - Open to the students to spend the "Panda Bucks" they earn for positive behavior - donations of new and gently used items are always appreciated. 
• UPE Scholarship Program - In 2017 First Church awarded the first "Forward In Faith" Scholarship. This is available to a graduating high school senior who attended UPE for at least one school year and will be attending an in-state College or University in the Fall. In 2020 we awarded two scholarships.

Community of Hope - This organization provides transitional housing that allows families with children to remain together, become self-reliant, and move into a permanent home. We are currently in partnership with Community of Hope by providing housing use for a family. We financially support this organization.

Florida United Methodist Children's Home (www.fumch.org)

New Life Mission - First Church provides Easter Baskets for the children in this program.