Local Justice and Compassion Ministry

Vision

The heartbeat of the Local Justice and Compassion ministry is to bring wholeness, purpose, and peace to the needy, marginalized, and forgotten in our community. We seek to integrate the giving lifestyle of Jesus into the very DNA of who we are individually and collectively.

“...act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

      

We live out our vision through our values through...

  • ACTION: we organize and offer the larger VFC community an opportunity to have tangible local service experiences through regular all-church service events 

  • INVITATION: we invite the VFC community to serve more regularly and intentionally through opportunities to follow up personally with those we serve; lead, coordinate or serve more intensively with large scale VFC events; or volunteer on a regular basis with an existing organization

  • EDUCATION: we empower VFC to be educated and engaged in local justice and compassion issues

 

Opportunities to serve within our Local Justice & Compassion Team

Events team

You can help serve to put on large scale events by helping with

  • Marketing/Promotion: We need graphic designers, creatives, web developers, social media masters, networkers and people-people to help promote events!

  • Tabling/sign ups: we need friendly, organized people to help with the sign up tables for our events 

  • Day of helper: being willing to help in various ways on the “day-of” events is always great!

  • Assembly/collection team: Often we need to assemble or organize donations, so helping with this team is awesome!

  

Follow-up team

You can help take another step with the people we serve in the following ways:

  • Delivery team: be available to deliver gifts/donations from events we put on

  • Personal touch: giving a follow up phone call to people we serve to check in and see how they are is an incredible gift

  • Follow up events: help us take the next step by organizing follow-up events (dinners, parties, etc) for those we serve!

   

Administrative team

We all know it’s the administrative work that helps organizations and events actually run, so our behind-the-scene’s admin help is imperative!

  • Scheduling: help track the various scheduling aspects of events

  • Phone call/email follow up for volunteers: helping organize our amazing volunteers!

  • Data entry

  • Day of administration

To serve with one of these teams, contact Curtis & Lissette Cannizzaro, mrs.cannizzaro@gmail.com


     

Partner Organizations and Projects

Pregnancy Resource Center

Pregnancy Resource Center is a local non-profit organization assisting women through crisis, unwanted or untimely pregnancy and the beginning stages of parenting. www.santacruzprc.org/

     

      

Beach Flats Community Center

The Beach Flats is one of the poorest areas in Santa Cruz. VFC is partnering with the Beach Flats Community Center to provide support and encouragement to the residents. www.beachflatscommunitycenter.org

      

     

Serve the Bay

Serve the Bay began as ShareFest Santa Cruz
 County, sponsored by many area churches to serve the people of Santa Cruz County with giving & thousands of hours of service. It’s developed into continuing activities during the year for volunteers from local churches & others to 
assist public schools, shelters, museums, parks, & others by giving & serving the community. 

http://www.servethebay.org/

       

Trade As One

Trade as One (TAO) is a response to poverty, bondage and
abuse and uses the power of consumer dollars, not donations, to bring
jobs and holistic care to some of the most vulnerable people in the
world. www.tradeasone.com

Support Fair Trade practices by purchasing from our Trade as One Trading Post in The Abbey

Make fair trade purchases on a regular basis through the TAO Trading Post, located in the Abbey. Keep checking back to see what's new on the shelves!

Past projects

  • Street clean-ups and backpack drives with the Beach Flats Community Center (BFCC)

  • Building, repair and cleaning projects with Harvey West Park, Head Start, BFCC, Second
    Harvest, Community Support Services & Homeless Services Center (HSC) through the city-wide Serve the Bay initiative

  • Shoe drive with Soles for Souls (http://www.soles4souls.org/)

  • Benefit concert, client service projects and Adopt-a-Kid Christmas projects with Pregnancy Resource Center (PRC)

  • Holiday Fair Trade Boutique with Trade as One (in partnership with the VFC GlobalTeam)

  • Created and hosted an original VFC event called DAY OF LOVE, serving in-need women and children from PRC, BFCC, Janus recovery house and HSC by offering a day of free services including free brunch, free massage, free family portraits and prints, free haircuts, free clothing boutique, free oil changes and more