Colusa nonprofit continues giving during the holiday season
Giving is more than just a season for the folks at the Ministerial Association of Colusa County, who facilitate food distributions in several towns throughout the county each month.
“Because of recent partnerships and efforts from our associated ministers, our Ministerial
Association, on average, serves 1,200 families every month,” said Jason Mcmullan, president of the Ministerial Association of Colusa County.
The nonprofit organization is also distributing the annual holiday baskets to those in need throughout the county this holiday season.
According to Mcmullan, the holiday baskets
program is usually facilitated by the Colusa Food Basket Association, and with the assistance of many volunteers, they give out more than 400 baskets each year at the Colusa County Fairgrounds in mid-december.
“With the numerous restrictions this year, including the inability to use the fairgrounds for food collection and distribution, we were honored when they reached out to us to see if we’d be willing to coordinate these efforts,” said Mcmullan. “Our association offered to operate this program as closely as it could, and, in consultation with public health, decentralized the collection and distribution sites to churches in each community, effectively lessening the amount of people that are in close contact.”
According to Mcmullan, the association was able to procure a number of the same elements of food baskets from previous years for this year’s giveaway, including butter, sugar, flour, bread, milk, fresh fruit and vegetables, canned goods, and a fresh honey ham.
The association has been accepting applications for the holiday baskets program since last month and those that will receive baskets this year received letters last week informing them of when and where to pick them up.
Mcmullan said the association began putting together the baskets on Friday and will continue the process on Saturday. Distribution will happen on Tuesday at several locations around the county.
Mcmullan said that at least eight churches from the association were involved in facilitating the holiday baskets program this year, with the assistance of volunteer teams of 10-30 people from each church.
According to Mcmullan, the Ministerial Association of Colusa County is an association of 21 churches and parishes, along with their ministers, that coordinates charitable endeavors, extends Christian benevolence and advocates for affiliated ministries and mission partners throughout Colusa County.
“Our organization started as a group of ministers, led by Pastor Tom Tripp, former minister at First Presbyterian of Colusa, and has always worked with other community-based organizations to assist those who need the most help, with support services,” said Mcmullan. “Since 2017, we have built upon services to really expand into the far reaches of our county, and offer food pantries, clothing closets, and other types of support services, as we have seen a growing need for families in the essentials.”
Mcmullan said local churches have been facilitating monthly food distributions for the last 10-15 years but, as an association, were recently able to expand their efforts to several Colusa County communities in light of the pandemic.
For more information about the Ministerial Association of Colusa County, call 419-9584 or visit www.colusamacc.org.