Compassion Week aims to build a strong, compassionate, and empathetic community by bringing people of all ages and abilities together for a week in October. Participants expand their understanding of local and global needs through volunteer opportunities. Multiple local faith communities operate in partnership during Compassion Week. As a partner in Compassion week, we lead family friendly activities to prepare hygiene kits, fleece blankets, prayer rugs and letter writing to refugees.

On Oct 7 Saturday, we hosted an assembly of hygiene kits at our place. The volunteers prepared 300 hygiene kits for Building Peaceful Families which helps women who are re-entering the community after being incarcerated. Giving them a fresh start makes a difference in the lives of women who are being released from Elmwood County Jail and have no resources available. On Oct 12 Thursday, we hosted two events in which Compassion week volunteers prepared prayer rugs for CIC Muslim Ministries to provide a 6-month supply of prayer rugs for 100 Muslim inmates.

Second event was about letter writing to refugee students who were forced to leave their home country and try to start a new life.  On Oct 14 Saturday, we hosted an event in which Compassion week volunteers prepared fleece blankets to support Bill Wilson Center, Pathways Hospice, The Linus Project and YWCA victims of domestic violence & sexual assault.

As a BAYCC/Pacifica Community, we also contributed to the book drive for the African Library Project. We collected the children’s books from our community throughout September. We helped with sewing small zipper pouches for California-Nevada Conference Disaster Response to distribute power banks in them to the disaster victims and hand-made drawstring bags for Days for Girl.

On October 25, Sunday, organizers hosted a closing session for the long week projects. Faith leaders prayed, delivered peace messages and emphesised importance of working together for common good.