Cascade Ladies
Cascade Ladies are a group of women at Cascade United Methodist Church on God's mission. The women come together monthly for fellowship and spiritual growth. Under the leadership of Sherry Black, the women are active in food service for funerals and general church meals, donating to groups and members of the community as well as remembering birthdays, anniversaries, the sick and shut-ins of Cascade and the community at large.
Pumpkin Giveaway
Every year in October members of Cascade gather at the pavilion by the Crosby Library to celebrate the fall season with the communities of Crosby-Ironton and Deerwood. Pumpkins are donated from a dedicated parishioner. Each child gets a pumpkin, a goodie bag filled with fun stuff, participate in face painting, and explore a fire truck and police car with their canine partner. It is a fun time to see the delight of all the children!
Come and Eat
Come & Eat, a monthly community meal, is served on the third Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. The community meal was started in May 2015 with grant funding from the Minnesota Annual Conference. Since the initial funding the monthly meal has become self-supporting through free will offerings. Donations are accepted but not expected. This meal and fellowship is open to everyone. Come & Eat!!
Coordinators:
Deb Weide 218-546-6749
Peggy Hillman 612-237-5811
Lunch Bunch
This program was established to provide bag lunch meals during the summer to area children whose families rely on the subsidized meal program available through the school system throughout the school year. It was started in 2013, consisting of groups of volunteers from four area churches plus a group of managers from the local hospital. Coordinators from each agency meet periodically to evaluate and adjust the program as deemed appropriate, based on recognized needs.
Each group is assigned one week day per week to prepare and distribute the lunches. The lunches consist of a sandwich, fruit, drink box, and a treat such as a granola bar. The sandwiches alternate between peanut butter and jelly or meat and cheese every other day. Each group prepares the lunches and then distributes them by going to three different locations for a designated period of time. The locations are in Deerwood, Crosby, and Ironton. Children come to the site closest to their homes to pick up the lunches. There is an honor system, meaning no qualifying is required to receive a lunch.
During the summer of 2019 there were close to an average number of 100 sandwiches distributed each day.
Questions can be directed to Cascade’s coordinator, Brenda Verkuilen at 320.279.1557
Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving Dinner has been an outreach of the church for approximately 35 years. We offer the Thanksgiving meal and fellowship to community. Most have nowhere to go, are unable to make their own dinner or just want to come out and feast as well as enjoy the fellowship. All are welcome! We accept a free will offering and all monies collected benefit our local Food Shelf. The dinner is the typical Thanksgiving meal with turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, many sides and desserts. I make a special punch that is a hit each year. No one goes away hungry. Awesome fellowship for all. Volunteers from Cascade and the community help cook, serve and clean up. If you are interested in volunteering or helping in any way, contact me!
Questions and additional information can be directed to the Thanksgiving Dinner Coordinator, Marie Nyberg.
Harvest Supper
Our Harvest Supper is an annual event that is anticipated by the surrounding communities. The mashed rutabagas are the focus of the meal complete with homemade meatballs, mashed potatoes, squash, and assorted deserts. It is an opportunity to gather with friends and family to celebrate our blessing of the bountiful harvest that God has so graciously provided us. We are blessed to share in this bounty with those who are treasured by us.
Coats for Kids
Coats for Kids is an annual winter outerwear drive for low-income families in Crow Wing County and the surrounding area. It is sponsored by Kinship Partners, Crystal Cleaners and others. We collect winter coats and outerwear at the church during August, September and October. Clothing needs to be in good condition as they are not able to make repairs such as fixing zippers. Clothing in need of repair will be donated to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. After collection, the clothing will be delivered to the cleaners. Most of what is collected are coats and snow pants, but mittens, gloves, hats, and boots are also appreciated.
Distribution is scheduled for a Saturday, near the end of October at the Westgate Mall. We are typically the only collection point in the Deerwood area, and receive about 50 coats, plus many stocking caps, mittens, and scarves.
