Victory Church works for the children
Our Store offers shopping for those in foster care
Right before Valentine’s Day and just weeks before the Capital Region locked down for the pandemic, Pastor Charlie Muller’s Victory Church celebrated the purchase of the Westgate Building at 10 N. Russell Road. Victory ’s congregation, known for helping impoverished children, planned to use Westgate as a base camp for an array of charities.
Now, despite the pandemic, Victory Church will offer a new foster child’s shopping experience inside the big building near the Price Chopper International.
“It will be called Our Store and it will be open on Saturdays, staffed and stocked by our church volunteers,” Muller said. “It will be a place where foster children, foster parents and kids aging out of the foster care system will be able to get clothes, some recreational items and personal necessities at no or little cost.”
Our Store will be stocked with casual wear and sneakers as well as dressier clothing and shoes appropriate for job interviews or a corporate office job. There will be personal hygiene items and necessities like detergent and toilet paper. There will also be toys, games and crafting materials. Due to the pandemic, foster children and foster parents should call Victory at 518-857-0726 to schedule a visit so COVID safety precautions can be maintained.
Items are still being collected for Our Store. Muller plans to open Feb. 1.
Muller and his congregation have continued volunteer work for children all through lockdown, even after the Albany and Colonie churches closed and worship was moved to Facebook Live. The loss of life from the virus and from gun violence greatly increased requests for help with Christmas presents. Muller received a phone call from a woman whose son was killed by gun violence during the summer. He left behind a 4-year-old daughter for her to raise. She couldn’t afford Christmas gifts. Victory volunteers bought and wrapped presents for the little girl. As word of their kindness spread, other families with a child who lost a parent to gun violence asked for Christmas gift assistance. Victory volunteers filled all the requests.
And this year, 48 refugee families asked for and received Christmas gift help for their children. Victory continued its food pantry and grab & go free lunch program.
“We helped them and we brought Christmas gifts for all our foster kids in St. Ann’s home for girls and the Lasalle Institute for Boys, which we do every Christmas and all the children at Vanderheyden in Troy,” Muller said. “We always ask each of them to write down the one gift they want most and try to get that and some other presents.”
Not surprisingly, Nikes, headphones and MP3 players were lots of the top choices. However, one girl asked for carpet to make her room feel like the home of her dream.
Muller hoped to reopen Victory church buildings Jan. 10. The winter virus surge puts that date in doubt. But he says the volunteer work will continue. Victory has set up a donation page for anyone who wants to contribute to the charitable work at victorycharity.com.
“Those donations are kept separate from funds given to the church and go directly to the pantry and children’s programs,” Muller said.