News

Click the image of the Flyer above to read about the upcoming Four Winds Barbershop Chorus Benefitting the Christian Service Center scheduled for February 8 2012.

Click the image of the flyer above to read about the Christian Service Center Spaghetti Dinner for 2012. Make plans to attend on February 27 2012

Toy Drive By Local Businesses
The 4^th Annual Christian Service Center "Santa's Helper" Toy Drive was jointly sponsored by "Sunny 105.7-FM" radio and the following businesses in the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores Area: Canal Rd. Animal Hospital, G N’ G Hardware, P&D Marine, Hope’s Cheesecake, Island Drug, The Emporium, Hunter’s Furniture, JellyfishBar, Woodsons Barge N, Salon Fahrenheit, Airport Storage, Merrill Miller Interiors, Infinity Bicycles and Gulf Coast Tool. Sunny 105.7-FM publicized the toy drive on the air and posted the locations of collection boxes on their website. The drive collected 22 boxes of toys which the station employees collected and presented to the CSC for distribution in their Christmas Cheer program. The program ensures that children who would not otherwise receive a Christmas gift are very happy on Christmas morning. A huge “Thank You” to the participating businesses from the children of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan! Shown making the presentation to Mary Ann Bousquet of CSC is Don Brown, General Manager and Kevin Keith, Program Director of "Sunny 105" Radio.

Reflexions Donation and Party
Saturday, December 3, Reflexions Hair Salon in Orange Beach provided free Christmas haircuts for forty girls and boys. Their parents had made appointments for them through the Christian Service Center. The children were treated to a special visit by Santa and each child received a gift. Salon owner Deborah Davis and her staff also provided haircuts last Christmas, as well as haircuts at Easter and at the start of the school year. Reflexions Hair Salon is located at 25814 Canal Road in Orange Beach; 981-3539.Pictured: front, Santa Craig Stephenson, and Charlene McCardle. Back, LtoR: Heather Smith, Kimberly Johnson, Deborah Davis, Karen Jackson, Heather Brown.

The Mystical Order of Mirams recently shared toys donated by the attendees of their Taste of the Islands event with the Christian Service Center Christmas Cheer Program. The program ensures that children who would not otherwise receive a Christmas gift are very happy on Christmas morning. Delivering the toys were Mirams President Tonia Turner, Historian/Parliamentarian Deena Montgomery, and Terri Long. On hand to accept the toys from the Mirams were CSC President, Linda Chappelle and Food Pantry Chair, Stan Moss. The Mirams’ website states, “We love our community and strive to give back as much as possible. With every event we host, we give generous donations to a charity that we choose. We love to keep our donations local when we can.” Thank you Mirams, from the children of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan! Click to enlarge the photo below. Left to right in the photo are Deena Montgomery, Stan Moss, Linda Chappelle, Tonia Turner and Terri Long.

Click Here to read about the plans for the Center's New Year's Eve Bash featuring Brent Burns at the Erie Meyer Civic Center

Woman's Club Donation
The Gulf Shores Woman's Club contributed toys to the Christian Service Center for their children's Christmas Cheer Program. This program provides toys to children in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan. Accepting the toys on behalf of the Center are CSC volunteers and GSWC members (left to right) Janice Moss, Kathleen Donaldson and CSC President Linda Chappelle. Click the photo to enlarge it.

Donation
Shown in the photo below is Cal Hanson presenting a check to Linda Chappelle, President of the Christian Service Center. Cal Hanson is the spouse of a retired ExxonMobil employee, and presented the $500 grant from ExxonMobil Foundation to Linda. The grant was made possible because of Mr. Hanson’s many volunteer efforts. This grant will help the Center meet the rapidly growing demand for assistance to local families who need basic food and emergency services. ExxonMobil supports programs targeted to worldwide health issues because they believe that good health is a springboard to opportunity, achievement and development. Click the photo to enlarge it.

Donation Wells Fargo’s Gulf Shores Branch Manager, Wendy Readman, at left in the photo below, presents a $1,000 check to Christian Service Center President, Linda Chappelle. This story appeared in the Baldwin County Now on-line newspaper. To read the story in its entirety, click here

Fishing Trip
Cool Change Charters held a fishing trip to benefit the center on Friday October 21, 2011. The trip was run by Captain Joe Nash at 251 974-5615. The six hour trip cost $100 per person and was enjoyed by all who went. Click the photo below to go to the Cool Change web site. Two photos below the Cool Change Charter link are of Rod Chappelle hooking a big one and Janice and Stan Moss accepting a check from Captain Nash. Click either photo to enlarge.

Sacred Heart Mission in Motion
The Christian Service Center is teaming with the Sacred Heart Mission in Motion bus to offer free heart health testing on Tuesday October 11th, 2011. The screenings will be conducted at the Gulf Shores Presbyterian Church parking lot across from the Center from 9-11:30 AM. There is no charge for the screening. The Center teams with Sacred Heart Mission in Motion regularly to offer free medical care to the community

Click the Image Above To Read the Latest Newsletter
for July-September 2011

20 Years of Service
The Pleasure Island Ministerial Association sponsored the Christian Service Center's 20th anniversary celebration at the Center's location at 317 Dolphin Avenue on Thursday June 16th at 3:00 pm. Mayor Robert Craft of Gulf Shores and Mayor Tony Kennon of Orange Beach presented proclamations honoring the milestone. In her acceptance speech of the two city council proclamations, President Chappelle pointed out that the Center has served 16,288 clients representing 42,469 individuals in our twenty years of service. Tours of the center were given and refreshments were served at the conclusion of the program. Our thanks to all who attended and especially those who prepared for the festivities and planned the ceremony. A slide show of the days events may be accessed by clicking the two small photos below.

Mobile Pantry Food Distributions
In cooperation with the Bay Area Food Bank, the Christian Service Center distributed free food to dozens of residents of Baldwin County on Wednesday 13 April 2011. Over 20 volunteers worked through the morning to set up and deliver the food to our residents who had signed up for the food. A slide show of the event may be viewed by clicking the small photo below. Thanks to the Bay Area Food Bank and all of our volunteers who worked to make this event a success.

We did another distribution on May 11 2011. Photos of that distribution are shown below. Click to enlarge.

Thank you volunteers from Gulf Shores UMC, Morgan's Chapel UMC, and our CSC volunteers. Thanks especially to The Bay Area Food Bank for the food, the Gulf Shores Presbyterian Church for the use of their parking lot and Stan Moss for the loan of some of the carts. The next distribution will be Wednesday June 8, 2011 same place and time.

And we did it again on June 8th. This time we had 60 recipients of the food and about 20 volunteers to help ith the set-up and distribution. It was hot but we got the job done.

The Christian Service Center of Gulf Shores is hosting a free oral health screening on Tuesday, May 24, 2011 from 9 am-11:30 am at Gulf Shores 1^st Presbyterian Church parking lot, located at 309 East 21st Ave., Gulf Shores.. This free test is a great way to painlessly detect any cancer in your mouth, please don't mistake this test for a routine dental exam.

Officially known as an Oral Mucosal Screening, the simple and painless screening is used to identify anything unusual, atypical or uncharacteristic in your mouth by using a light source to examine the interior of the mouth. Typically, this test costs approximately $55.00, but is at no charge thanks to the Sacred Heart Mission in Motion Health Care team.

Please remember this test is especially important for individuals who have ever used alcohol or tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco, to have this simple and free screening. Participants need to be at least 18 years old, no ID is required.

The Christian Service Center is an all volunteer Food Bank and Emergency Aid nonprofit agency. Located at 317 Dolphin Dr, Gulf Shores. For more information call: 968-5256 or (850) 416-7826.

CSC to Host Free Medical Tests Mar 29
On Tuesday march 29, 2011 the Christian Service Center in partnership with Sacred Heart Health Systems Mission in Motion team will conduct a FREE Cholesterol, Glucose, Blood Pressure & Anemia Tests for area residents. the hours are 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Fasting is recommended but not required. No appointment is needed. The tests will be given in the mobile medical facility in the Gulf Shores First Presbyterian Church parking lot.

Spaghetti Supper
Our big fund raiser of the year has come and gone, and from the looks of the number in attendance and the expressions of enjoyment by those who came, it was once again a huge success. Thanks to everyone who participated in any way. This includes our sponsors, food donors, prize donors, volunteers from cooks to dishwashers, table servers, bussers, ticket sellers, ticket takers, musicians and clean up crews and the Gulf Shores UMC for the use of their facility. A special thanks to our volunteers who bought the food and organized the evening so it went smoothly. Photos of the evening may be viewed by clicking the small photo below.

Our Spaghetti Supper Sponsors

Presenting Sponsor - Holy Spirit Thrift Shop

Gold Sponsors - Longhorn Steaks, Sam's Bait and Tackle, Mullet Wrapper and
Gulf Shores United Methodist Church

Silver Sponsors - Gulf Shores Woman's Club, Matt Flanigan Memorial, Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church, Our Lady of the Gulf Alter and Rosary Society, St. Andrew By the Sea Men, Visions Bank

Bronze Sponsors - Shirley & Gene Barbour, Brett-Robinson, Al & Janice Nabors, Don Meghreblain, SER & JER, South Baldwin regional Medical Center, Wayne & Alice Villidsen, Publix, Wal-Mart

Raffle Sponsors - Restaurants
Cobalt, Cosmos, Desoto's, Kitty's Kafe, Elli Bistro Ginny Lane, Villaggio,
North Shore Grill, Mikee's, Gulf Shores Steamer, Shrimp Basket
Raffle - Other Businesses and Organizations
Vera Bradley: Bags Skip and Carol Haberly
Saxxy Daddy: Alice Villidsen
Shrimp Festival Sponsor Package: Kaiser Realty
Stuffed Beach Bag: AL Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau
Angel & Candles: Tom and Mary LaHaye

Other Gifts:
Hampton Inn, Palm Tree Prints, Elizabeth Blaylock Print
Wine Basket, Jim Beam Sauces

Delivery Day
Every Wednesday a truck comes from the Bay Area Food Bank in Theodore, AL to deliver food we have ordered and to deliver produce gleaned from local grocers by the Bay Area Food Bank, which in turn is donated by them to local area agencies who are clients of the Bay Area Food Bank. These grocers include Winn-Dixie, Bruno's Sam's, Wal-mart and Target. Shown below are two photos. On the left is one of the pallets of food being unloaded from the truck by the Bay Area Food Bank driver and observed by John Henderson, our volunteer, and on the right is the food stacked in our warehouse ready for delivery to bread ministries in our area and our clients, with several of our volunteers standing in front of 5 pallets of food. On this particular day, February 9, 2011 we received, delivered and stored over 3300 pounds of food. The task of doing that was handled by the volunteers shown in the photos, plus a couple of shy ones who stayed out of the range of the camera. If you want a job as a volunteer doing this kind of work, or some other type job, call the center at 968-5256 and ask to speak to our volunteer coordinator, or food pantry coordinator.

The Annual Spaghetti Dinner will be held Monday February 21, 2011. Click the small photo of the flyer above for all of the details. Volunteers are needed to prepare and serve the dinner. Call the office at 968-5256 if you are willing to help.

Lighting Upgrade
Leonard Sanneman recently spent a couple of days upgrading the lights in the warehouse side of the auxiliary building. The upgrade added greatly to the ease with which food can be stored, catalogued and distributed. Photos of the upgrade are shown below. Click any image to enlarge it. Thanks Leonard.

Brent Burns New Years Eve Party
To view photos of the New Years Eve party held at the Erie Meyer Civic Center in Gulf Shores, click the small photo below. Thanks to Fay Cook for forwarding the photos and thanks to Brent Burns for doing this fund raiser for the Center and a special thanks to all those who came out to enjoy his music.

Sandspur Band Fund Raiser
Click the image below to view the flyer for the Sandspur Band fund raiser for the center Sunday January 16th at the Christian Life Church.

Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels in gulf Shores is currently in need of permanent weekly drivers. Meals on Wheels is currently delivering approximately 100 meals weekly. We are looking for drivers who will drive the same day a week every single week. This is a very gratifying volunteer job as the Meals on Wheels person may be the clients only human contact daily. This only takes approximately one hour or less daily. Substitute drivers are needed as well. Call the Center to volunteer.

CSC Inservice January 24 2011
This is a reminder of our required annual Inservice Training to be held January 24th at the Presbyterian Church from 9 AM to 12 Noon. Please come by the Center to sign up. The sheet is on the AA desk. Breakfast will be provided. This is an opportunity for you to meet your fellow workers and discuss changes at the center.

Start the New Year right by attending a free cholesterol, glucose, anemia and blood pressure test event hosted by the Christian Service Center of Gulf Shores and Sacred Heart's Mission In Team on Jan 25, 2011 at Gulf Shores First Presbyterian Church located at 309 East 21st Ave from 9 am until 11:30 am.

Now celebrating its 20th year anniversary, the Christian Service Center is a Food Pantry and Emergency Aid nonprofit agency located at 317 Dolphin Dr, Gulf Shores.

No ID or insurance is required for this free event; participants must be at least 18 years old. Everyone is welcome. For questions call the CSC at 251-968-5256 or Sacred Heart at 850-416-7826.

New Years Eve 2010
Making plans for your New Year’s Eve just got a lot easier by knowing legendary Gulf Coast singer, Brent Burns, will be featured at the 3rd annual Early Bird New Year’s Eve Bash in Gulf Shores. Brent’s music is well known his mixture of comedy, rock-n-roll, and country laced with a laid-back island theme. Who would want to miss a chance at meeting this legend who wrote songs entitled â€œI've got a beach in my back yardâ€ and â€œif it is Snow Bird Season, Why can't we shoot 'Em? Plus, Brent is this year’s talented recipient of the 2010 Trop Rock Singer, Songwriter and CD of the Year award.

Beginning at 6 pm, doors open at the Erie Myer Civic Center at 1930 W 2^nd St in Gulf Shores in time for folks to enter and decorate their table-side seating. The table with the Most Outrageous decor wins this year’s bragging rights and a great prize from Brent. Entertainment starts at 7 pm until 10 pm, giving everyone a chance to enjoy a great show and dancing before 2010 is gone forever.

This is a bring-your-own-everything party, including drinks, snacks and your unique decor. The night’s host, the Christian Service Center, will supply you with fabulous entertainment, a chance to dance your socks off, tables and chairs. Spirits are permitted, but decor consisting of glitter, confetti and open flames are a no-no in the Civic Center.

This year, there will be a special raffle drawing for the Spirit of the Gulf mermaid sculpture created by mixed media artist, Jan Jones. This one of a kind beauty will make a unique addition to either your home or office. The Spirit of the Gulf is very special because she pays homage to the spirit and strength of the Gulf Coast people. Raffle tickets for the sculpture are 2 for $5.00 and support the mission of the Christian Service Center to assist local families needing emergency aid.

The night’s admission tickets are only $15.00 each. Advance ticket sales are available by credit card by Pay Pal by visiting www.brentburns.com, or calling 948-8863, or raffle tickets and entertainment tickets can be purchased together at the Christian Service Center’s office from 9 am until noon at 317 Dolphin Ave in Gulf Shores.

Who can resist entertainment with an award winning artist, and kick up those heals with your friends from the Gulf Coast? Tickets are limited, so get your tickets today

Brett Robinson Food Drive
The employees of Brett Robinson conducted their annual Holiday Food Drive with the proceeds of the drive being donated to the Christian Service Center. The food was delivered to the center on Monday November 22nd by the Brett Robinson employees. The Center very much appreciates the loyalty and dedication the Brett Robinson employees who each year provide for those in our community who may be a little less fortunate than others. By providing the food they collect to the Center they enable our volunteers to provide for those families in our community that might not otherwise enjoy the holiday season. A photo of the food delivery to the Center is shown below. It may be enlarged by clicking the small photo

Gulf Shores Middle School Food Donation
The Gulf Shores Middle School began a 'stuff the bus' food drive a month ago so everyone in our community could have a Thanksgiving meal. That drive led to the collection of several boxes of food being collected and on Saturday November 20th it was delivered to the Christian Service Center for use this week. The food will be put to good use and the students of the middle school and their teachers and parents can be proud of them and the Citizen Environmental Organization which spearheaded the drive. Their motto is Service, Leadership, and citizenship. Well done. There are two photos below which show the volunteers of the Center along with middle schoolers Katelin Kenyon and Emily Davis, and teachers Will Tucker and Debbie Kenyon. Click to enlarge the photos.

Free Oral Health Care Screening
The Christian Service Center of Gulf Shores and Sacred Heart's Mission in Motion Team will hold free Oral Health Care Screenings to the public on Tuesday, Nov 30. This easy and painless test uses a special light source to check the mouth to identify anything unusual or atypical in the mouth. Please note, this test checks for the possibility of the presents oral cancer in the mouth and is not to be confused with a routine dental exam.

Oral cancer itself is off the radar of most Americans, but here's a reason why you should have this test. The Oral Cancer Foundation reports the death rate associated with oral cancer is particularly high not because it is hard to discover or diagnose, but due to the cancer being routinely discovered late in its development. Typical risk factors include the use of tobacco, smokeless tobacco and exposure to the HPV virus.

Test location: Gulf Shores First Presbyterian Church Parking lot. Time: 9 am to 11:30 am. No appointment or ID is required. For questions call the CSC at 968-5256 or Sacred Heart at 850 416-7826.

Fishing Trip
Captain Joe Nash of the Cool Change out of Zeke's Marina donated the proceeds of a 6 hour fishing trip on Friday October 22 2010 to the Center. This is the second year Capt. Nash and his crew, including his wife. has sponsored this trip and everyone who went had a good time and caught plenty of fish as the photos below show. the photo on the right below is of Captain Nash and his wife presenting the proceeds to Linda Chappelle, President of the Christian Service Center. Also pictured is Stan Moss, Center volunteer and deck hand on the fishing trip. Thanks to everyone who made this such a successful event. Click any photo to enlarge it.

Thanks especially to J & M Tackle for providing bait, Zeke's Marina for providing the fuel, and Clean Boatz for cleaning the Boat and regular Cool Chang Deckhand, Kyle Partain for his usual outstanding assistance on the trip.

The all volunteer staff at the Christian Service Center of Gulf Shores is working hard to restock their medical equipment loaner closet. By offering free loaner medical equipment to residents, recipients benefit from easy access to no-cost items, continuation of their independent lifestyle and experience fewer accidents.

Currently, medical supplies at the Christian Service Center are running dangerously low, and the CSC needs your help. Is there a pair of crutches or a wheelchair in your home that is no longer being used? Perhaps you know of a cane, a shower chair or a potty chair that could be placed back into service to help a neighbor in need. All types and sizes of medical equipment, including canes, crutches, shower chairs and wheelchairs, are needed. Regular and oversized wheelchairs are in critical short supply.

If you need to borrow medical equipment from the CSC Loaner Closet, it is easy as checking a book out of the library.

Donated equipment is tax deductible and can be dropped off at the Christian Service Center office located at 317 Dolphin Ave, in Gulf Shores Monday thru Friday from 9 am until noon. The Christian Service Center is deeply grateful to this community for its loyal support of its mission to help local residents since opening their doors in 1991. For questions, call the CSC office at 251-968-5256.

Rummage Sale
The Orange Beach United Methodist Church is having their annual rummage sale on Saturday October 23, 2010 at the Community Center in Orange Beach. The proceeds of the fundraiser will be donated to support the ministry of the Center. Give it a look and find some bargains donated and sold by a wonderful group of volunteers

RBC Bank Donates to Food Pantry
RBC Banks in Baldwin County conducted a food drive recently at their branches in Baldwin County and donated the food collected to the Christian Service Center on Wednesday, October 6, 2010. The employees of the bank then delivered the food to the Center and helped unload it for shelf stocking by the Center's volunteers. The collection was a generous and kind act on the part of the bank, its employees and its patrons. We are grateful for their support of the Center and want everyone to know of their generosity. The employees of the bank have also volunteered to help with our Christmas Food Box preparation and distribution in December. Shown below is a photo of the employees of the bank who participated in bringing the food to the Center, and the volunteers of the Center who helped stock the shelves

Scout Donation
Scout Seth Knight of Troop 249 in Millport, AL came by the Center on Monday 2 August and made a large contribution of money and food to the Center on behalf of his troop. Having heard about the difficulties folks on the Alabama Gulf Coast were facing, Seth took it upon himself to conduct the food and money drive. We are grateful for his and his troops generosity and for the people in Millport who contributed to his efforts. Two small photo below may be clicked to view Seth at the center.

Camp Happy Sands
CSC is now accepting applications for Camp Happy Sands, which will be held June 7-11. Client children ages 6-10 are eligible for sign up. Click HERE to view a slide show of prior year activities in the form of a slide show.

Gulf Shores Publix Joins Food Donation Program
The Gulf Shores Publix was opened on Wednesday April 21, 2010 in Gulf Shores, AL We are pleased that the Center's representatives were invited to the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting and are particularly pleased that this store, like its Orange Beach sister store will be contributing food to the center to fight hunger in our communities.. Show below are some photos of the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with lots of dignitaries from Publix management and the City of Gulf Shores and the Chamber of Commerce. The photo on the right is of Bennie Dalzell , manager of the Gulf Shores store, Pam the loading dock manager, and Bill Martin during the first pick up of donated food on Thursday April 22, 2010. Click to enlarge the photos.

Officers 2010-2012
Shown below is a photo of the officers and program chairs for the Center for 2010-2012. They were installed at the meeting of the board of directors on Monday April 12, 2010 by Rev. Rollins who is shown in the left of the first row. Please pray for and support these volunteers as they carry out their duties. You may enlarge the photo by clicking on it.

Ten Years of Service
Based on the latest complete year figures available, the Center continues to serve more and more people on an annual basis. Shown on the chart below are the total number of individuals served for the 10 year period 1999-2009. May we continue to be able to meet the challenge. You may enlarge the chart by clicking on it. It should be pointed out that 2005 was the year Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast.

Keeping the Pantry Full
Each month at least two of the churches which sponsor the center provide food or funding to the center to keep our shelves stocked with items to give to our clients Shown in the photo on the left below is the contribution of Christian Life Church this past Monday, March 1st 2010. This food was delivered to the center by volunteer Stan Moss, who is a member of Christian Life Church. The photo on the right below is the bread contribution from Publix in Orange beach for a Sunday and Monday to the center. The bread was picked up by two of the center's volunteers and delivered to the center before it opened at 9:00 am. If you would like to volunteer at the center or become involved through your church in their efforts to help us, please stop by the center or call 968-5256 for more information. Clicking the photos will enable you to see a larger version.

Don Meghreblain	Sirens of the Sea	South Baldwin Regional Medical Center	Brett Robinson Real Estate
Gulf Shores Woman's Club	In Memory of Matthew Flanigan	Kaiser Realty	Original Oyster House
St. Andrew Men	RBC Bank	Our Lady of the Gulf Alter and Rosary Society	Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church
The Villadsen Family	Wisconsin Sno-Bird Club	Baldwin Bone & Joint PC	Shake's Frozen Custard
GSBP Automotive	WalMart	Winn Dixie Gulf Shores	Liberty Linen
Big O's	Publix	Longhorn Steakhouse	Holy Spirit Thrift Shop
St Andrew By The Sea	Jubilee Pickers	Gulf Shores United Methodist Church	Lagoon Baptist Church Women's Group
		Three Palms Realty

To view the letter to the editor which Linda Chappelle sent to local newspapers, CLICK HERE. You will need Adobe Acrobat to open this.

Four Winds Barbershop Chorus
Come and enjoy a delightful evening of memorable songs in perfect harmony performed by the Four Winds Barbershop Chorus benefiting the Center on Thursday February 18 2010 at the Orange Beach United Methodist Church at 28751 Canal Road. The concert is free, however donations will be accepted to be given entirely to the Center's ministry.

Recent Photos
These are photo recently taken and used in articles appearing in newspapers in our area. The photo on the left shows Linda receiving a check from the Clothes closet. The photo in the center shows our volunteers at the In-Service held at the Gulf Shores Presbyterian Church in January and the photo on the right shows Mary Claire Dover with P.U.R.E. volunteers with recycled toner and ink cartridges

Christmas Food Boxes Handed Out
Volunteers worked Monday through Wednesday the week of 14-18 December to prepare food boxes for the 201 families in our area who requested food for Christmas Dinners. The boxes included a turkey or chicken, dressing, bread, dessert, vegetables, fruit, and cranberry sauce plus some other odds and ends. The boxes were finally ready for handing out on Thursday and Friday and that process went very smoothly thanks to the efforts of our volunteers and members of the Gulf Shores fire department. Some photos below will give you a feel of the effort put forth. Thanks to all of the volunteers who prepared the boxes, helped hand them out and to those who provided food and money to the center to make this all possible.

Lions Club Donation
The Orange Beach Lions Club made a cash donation of $200.00 in December to the Center to help cover the costs of providing food for the hungry in our community. Thanks Lions. Making the presentation were Pam Davis and Charles Larrimore of the Lions Club and accepting the donation on behalf of the Center were Kay Reese and Jim Denison as shown in the photo below. Click the photo to view an enlarged version. It should also be noted that Charles is a regular volunteer at the center as well.

Donation by Community Association Organization
The Community Association Organization of Pleasure Island presented a check for $1000.00 to Linda Chappelle, President of the Board of Directors of The Christian Service Center on Tuesday 8 December 2009 at the Center's office in Gulf Shores. Shown in the photo below from left tor right are Keith Jiskna, President, Linda Chappell of the Center, David Sharpe, Vice President, and Jeniee Hudson, Secretary of the Community Association Organization.

Sponsor Appreciation Reception
On December 4, 2009 The Center held a Sponsor Appreciation Reception at the home of Radney and Bev Tucker. The reception was for those who have contributed and continued to support the CSC. Photos were taken during the reception and may be viewed by clicking the small photo below. It was a fun evening for all who attended and the Board of Directors is pleased that so many of our friends and supporters were able to attend. A special thanks to Radney and Bev Tucker for the use of their home and to Fay Cook and those on her committee for all the hard work that went in to planning and preparing for the event. The food was delightful.

Food Drive

Curves Workout Center of Gulf Shores recently participated in their 4^th annual Holiday toy and food drive to help the clients of the Christian Service Center located in Gulf Shores, AL. Tina Watkins, owner of Curves, says Our Curves members are a family, not only our local members, but our wonderful winter guests who join us part of the year. We have an amazing support group and truly enjoy helping those in need.

Tina's commitment to helping others in need has resulted in hundreds of magical toys for children who would have little chance of receiving a toy and a twice annual food drive that gives a needed hand up to local families working hard to secure their financial footing again.

Curves looks forward to participating in numerous charitable events in the community by promoting charitable causes, learning about health-related issues and developing lasting friendships.

The Christian Service Center salutes Tina Watkins and the Curves clientele for their continued commitment to this community. The Christian Service Center will be collecting Christmas Toys for local children through December 18^th at 317 Dolphin Ave. To view a photo of the food collection by Curves, click the small photo below.

Island Spirit Award

Linda Chappelle, President of the Board of Directors for the Christian Service Center was awarded the Island Spirit Award on Monday December 1, 2009 at the Center's offices on Dolphin Drive. Congratulations Linda on winning the award. No one deserves it more and we are pleased that you were recognized for the work you do on behalf of the Center, the community, and those who need the services of the center. Two photos of the award are shown below. Click them for larger images.

Food Drive
A food drive sponsored by the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission, Kaiser Realty, South Baldwin Regional medical Center, and Tacky Jacks was recently completed and the approximately 300 pounds of food was donated to the Christian Service Center. It was delivered to the center on Wednesday December 2, 2009. Shown below is the food at delivery with representatives of the food drive and the Center. Click the photo to view a larger version.

Santa's Helper Toy Drive Benefits Local Children

The Christian Service Center and Sunny 105.7 FM are teaming together to ensure local children have a happy and delightful Christmas this year with the kick off of Santa's Helper Toy Drive. No child should feel left out at Christmas, not for any reason. These children have little chance of receiving any gift unless it is through a toy drive for needy children says Christian Service Center case worker and toy drive co-chairman, Janice Moss. It just breaks my heart thinking that any child would experience Christmas without a single gift.

By providing Christmas toys for children from birth to 16 years, families with over-stressed finances will receive relief so they can pay their bills. Because of this successful program, over 2000 local children have been blessed with holiday toys in past years.

The Center is expecting a greater number of children this year, and many area businesses are offering to help out as locations for toy donations. Toys do not have to be expensive to be special. Whether a child needs a left-handed base ball glove or a Miss Kitty purse, Christian Service Center volunteers happily glean through each donation until every child's wish list has that special touch of Santa. Knowing a needy child will receive something special for Christmas is our greatest gift says Mrs. Moss.

You too can help delight a child this Christmas by bringing an unwrapped toy to these business locations: Sunny 105.7 Studio, Gulf Shores Pharmacy, The Happy Shak, Hope's Cheesecake, Robertsdale Feed, Dr. J.D. West, Sweetie Pies, Back To School, The Original Oyster House, St. Charles Place, Milos, Duck's Diner, Longhorn Steak House, The Office Lounge, Merrill Miller Interiors, Charm Boutique, Manning Jewelry, W&W Flooring, Kitty's Cafe, and Pack & Mail.

Toys can also be dropped off at the Christian Service Center at 317 Dolphin Ave in Gulf Shores Monday to Friday 9 am until noon. For more information, call the Christian Service Center office at 968-5256 or http://www.sunny105.com.

Left to right Janice Moss, Lee Hagan, Mary Claire Dover

USDA Releases Startling New Statistics on Hunger

The USDA reported that 49 million Americans, including nearly 17 million children, are food insecure. The new data reinforces recent findings from a research study conducted by Feeding America reflecting a dramatic increase in requests for emergency food assistance from food banks across the country.

The 2009 report on Household Food Insecurity in the United States shows an increase of 36 percent over the numbers released one year ago by the USDA, which found that 36.2 million American were at risk of hunger. “It is tragic that so many people in this nation of plenty don’t have access to adequate amounts of nutritious food,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. Although these new numbers are staggering, it should be noted that these numbers reflect the state of the nation one year ago, in 2008. Since then, the economy has significantly weakened, and there are likely many more people struggling with hunger than this report states.

Escarra observes, “Our network food banks are calling us every day, telling us that demand for emergency food is higher than it has ever been in our history. Feeding America will continue to work closely with our partners at USDA to ensure that the public and charitable sectors are keeping pace—as best we can—with the dramatically increasing need for food assistance.”

The dramatic increase in food insecurity makes our mission more important than ever. With Child Nutrition Reauthorization around the corner, President Obama and Congress have a chance to make a real difference for millions of hungry Americans by strengthening child nutrition programs. It is up to the anti-hunger community to keep up the pressure on our elected officials and urge them to make ending hunger a priority.

You can use the Hunger Action Center to send a letter to President Obama and your Members of Congress. Just click here!

Brent Burns Blue Moon Benefit Concert
Adult Activity Center Gulf Shores
December 31 2009
See Below

Sand Spur Band
January 24th 2010 Christian Life Church in Orange Beach.
7:00 PM Tickets $10.00

Four Winds Concert
February 18th 2010.
Orange Beach United Methodist Church
7:00-8:30

Sirens of the Sea Food and Funds Donation
The lovely ladies of the Sirens of the Sea visited the Center on Tuesday 17 November with a donation of food for the pantry and a hefty check to enable the Center to continue operating and meeting the needs of our clients. Photos of the occasion, taken in the food pantry are shown below. Each of the photos may be enlarged by clicking on the thumbnail. Thank you ladies for your generosity and your concern for those in our community who need our help.

IFA and South Baldwin Food Drive
The Inshore Fisherman's Association and South Baldwin Regional Medical Center sponsored a food drive during their Redfish Tournament held Friday and Saturday 6-7 November 2009 at The Wharf in Orange Beach. Participating in the food drive in addition to IFA and SBRMC were Columbia Southern University, Peninsula Golf Resort, Craft Farms, Emerald Coast Redfish Club, and the Alabama Convention and Visitors Bureau. Photos were taken on Saturday of some parts of the event, and on Monday after the food was delivered and unloaded at the Center. They may be viewed by clicking the small photo below. With over 3500 lbs of food delivered to the Center, we can only say Thank You over and over to all who made this generous donation. You have helped us meet our food needs for weeks to come.

Newcomers Club Donations
The Newcomers Club of Pleasure Island held it's monthly luncheon and business meeting on Tuesday 3 November 2009 at the Beach Club on Fort Morgan Road. The speaker for their program was Bill Martin, Food Pantry Co-Chair of the Center. Edith Bolster, a volunteer at the Center, arranged for Bill to present the program about the Center and its many programs to aid those in need in our service area. The ladies of the club brought cans of soup to the luncheon to stock the pantry at the center, resulting in over 165 cans of various kinds of soup being donated. Thank you Newcomers for your generosity. A photo of Bill and the CSC volunteers who are members of the Newcomers club was taken after the luncheon and is shown below.

Food Drive By Mid South Home Health
The Christian Service Center was the recipient of the food collected during a recent food drive put on by Mid South Home Health located in Foley at 1390 N. McKenzie Street. Over 700 pounds of canned and boxed food items were in the dozens of bags of food collected by Mid South Home Health, over 300 pounds of which came from Mid South Home Health employees. Volunteers from the Center picked up the food with the aid of Mid South Home Health employees, and transported it to the Center for distribution to clients of the center seeking food and other assistance. Several photos were taken during the pick-up and these may be viewed by clicking the small photos below. Clicking on the photos will enlarge them for more detail. The large photo below the smaller ones is of the entire Mid South Home Health crew on duty in Foley the morning of the pick-up. Thank you for your generosity and for helping us help others in our area.

We're In The New Facilities
The Christian Service Center expansion and remodeling project is complete and all of the new additions and remodeled areas are now being used. We are grateful to the Erie Meyer Foundation for the grant, to WAP Inc for their construction skills and management, to the dozens of volunteers who aided in the construction, to those who fed the volunteers, and to all of the volunteers who man the center on a daily basis for their patience in working around the many changes made necessary by the disruption during construction. We will now be able to serve more in need in our community. Photos of some of the new areas taken Tuesday September 22nd may be viewed by clicking the small photo below.

Certificate of Occupancy Obtained
The Christian Service Center expansion and remodeling project reached a big milestone on Friday 11 September 2009 when we got our certificate of occupancy from the city of Gulf Shores. Now there remains the final touches inside both the Auxiliary building and the new offices in the main building. To view photos of the work done since the last report click the photo below.

Construction Continues
The Christian Service Center expansion and remodeling continues. We have the end in sight as the addition to the auxiliary building has been dried in, insulated, and sheetrocked. The shelves, freezers, and food from the main building food pantry have been removed and we are temporarily operating out of cramped quarters in the auxiliary building. The walls have been built for the two new offices and sheetrock was completed on Wednesday 26 August. We have had a dedicated group of volunteers who have done this work, and have been blessed by folks who have brought lunch each day. Soon we will all be moving into our new facilities. Photos of work accomplished since our last report may be viewed by clicking the small photo below.

Cool Change Charter Aids Center
The Christian Service Center recently received two checks from Captain Joe Nash and First mate Kyle Partain of the charter fishing boat Cool Change which is out of Orange Beach. Captain Nash ran charters on a weekend, the proceeds of which were donated to the Center. Captain Nash donated $1500 to the Center and his First Mate Kyle Partain donated his tips for the day totaling $170 for a total contribution of $1670. The center is grateful to Captain Nash and the crew of the Cool Change for their very generous contribution to the Center. The funds collected will help the Center as it continues to assist those in need in our community. A photo of the check presentation is shown below.

Left to right are Cindy Brown, Capt Joe Nash, Jennifer Jackson, 1st Mate Kyle Partain, and Stan Moss

Growing to Serve More and Better
The Christian Service Center is in the process of expanding our auxiliary building in order to consolidate all of the food handling, birthday club, and medical equipment processes into that building in order to gain more space to see clients in our administrative building during our hours of operation. Currently we sometimes see overflow clients in the hallways, front porch and even reception area. Once the auxiliary building is complete, the admin building will be remodeled to include more offices and other improvements. The work on the auxiliary building and follow on work in the admin building is being done by volunteers and what a great group of folks they are. To give everyone a flavor of what has taken place to date........August 10th 2009, click the small photo below for a slide show of the construction from start to now. More on growth will be provided later and YES you can volunteer to work on the construction and remodeling. Just come to the Center and you will be given a job.

Donation from Christian Life Church
Pictured left to right: Administrative Pastor Phillip Anthony of Christian Life Church presents a check for $3,100.00 to Christian Service Center President Linda Chapelle also pictured are Christian Life Church members Janice Moss and husband Stan Moss.

The Christian Service Center received a donation from Sirens of the Sea and were visited by Barbara Pugh and Helen Shivers of the Sirens when the check was presented to Linda Chappell, President of the Board of Directors of the Christian Service Center on July 21st 2009. A photo of presentation of the check may be viewed below. Left to right in the photo are Barbara Pugh, Linda Chappelle and Helen Shivers.