Yellow and blue: Easter chicks for Ukraine is just one of the ways ACW at St. Columba supports its wider community in need
The ACW at St. Columba Anglican Church in Waterloo may be small, but the group is the driving force behind much of the outreach that happens in the parish. The dedicated members of the ACW work throughout the year to raise funds that are then used to care for neighbours both near and far.
In 2022, the group organized a series of “Outreach Sundays”, selling a variety of baked goods, jams and soups to raise funds to support the Waterloo Deanery Refugee Committee in its work of sponsoring refugee families and helping them settle in the region.
The ACW also held its popular Christmas bazaar in December 2022, and it was, as always, a huge success. From the proceeds of the bazaar the ACW was able to support Days for Girls, Food 4 Kids and the Women's Crisis Centre with a donation of $1,000 to each organization.
A new initiative that started in 2022 was the sale of hand-knitted Easter chicks to raise funds for PWRDF to support its work with various partners in bringing relief to the people of Ukraine. The ACW was able to send a total of $580 to PWRDF last year from the sale of the knitted chicks.
In 2023, Easter bunnies were added, and the response was so great that orders had to be closed by early February, after only a month. Other churches in Waterloo Deanery were also invited to participate in the project.
The ACW expects to send an even larger donation to PWRDF for Ukraine this year from the sale.
Lisa Mendler, ACW St. Columba, Waterloo