Lee Memorial United Methodist Church 

The Community Outreach Center (COC) has been serving families in need for 10 years. (Previously known as the Sprague Community Center (SCC) in Sprague, CT). Due to the sale of the SCC property, we moved our Outreach Ministry to our church, Lee Memorial United Methodist Church on 294 Washington Street, Norwich, CT, under the new name of the Community Outreach Center.

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The mission of our Outreach Ministry continues to be that we are passionately committed to improving the lives of those in need, in a caring and nurturing environment, as we provide nutritional food opportunities, promote wellness awareness, and support access to community services and programs.

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During our 10-year tenure, we have established the “Food Friday” program, through many partnerships: The United Way for food; Backus Hospital for medical screening and nutritional support; local schools for community programs; collaboration with many agencies for family support. We have also been providing many community programs co-sponsored with Backus Hospital, such as Family Health Fairs, Safety Expos, Care for the Caregiver Day, Healthy Road to Aging, and  the Back To School Bash.

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Our “Food Friday” is a weekly component of our Outreach Ministry, where we serve our “Client Friends” from over 40 towns and cities. The food that is distributed comes from many sources; United Way, donations from Hillandale Egg Farm, Brush Hill Farms and donations from local gardeners and farmers.

 

This ministry of Lee Memorial UMC operates every Friday from 12:30-2:00 PM; cars pull into the church's driveway and line up in the parking lot, and our volunteers distribute food to each car. As of July 2023, no new registrations for families/individuals are being accepted, but if this changes in the future, we will communicate the change as quickly as possible!

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The wonderful COC volunteer team of more than 25 members works diligently to provide meaningful assistance and opportunities for families in need, in a caring and supportive environment. It is our hope that our connections with our families will have a positive, meaningful, and helpful impact on their lives.