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We are delighted to present the last in a series of profiles on this year’s Hometown Heroes who were honored at our annual awards breakfast on Friday, September 29th at the Computer History Museum.  

The Silicon Valley entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well at Los Altos United Methodist Church where congregants are constantly innovating new ways to transform the world. Exemplifying faith in action is an apt way to describe the congregation, which is home to numerous social justice programs and causes as part of its ministry to address poverty, hunger and homelessness.

One of those programs is Hope’s Corner which serves a free breakfast and bag lunch to hungry people and offers shower facilities every Saturday at Trinity United Methodist Church on the corner of Hope and Mercy. The program originally began as a joint ministry of the two churches in 2011 and now has its own nonprofit status.

Another social justice program is Compassion Week. Entering its fifth year, Compassion Week was borne out of a series of small group service projects benefitting local, national and international causes and now encompasses more than 60 activities for all ages and abilities.

This year’s program, which begins on Monday, October 2 and continues through October 8, includes such service projects as the following:

  • sorting school supplies into activity kits for teachers at RAFT
  • helping organize and distribute produce at CSA
  • cleaning up the beach at Half Moon Bay
  • serving breakfast to hungry people at Hope’s Corner and Glide Memorial Church
  • making comfort items for cancer patients
  • assembling and packaging dehydrated, highly nutritious meals to be distributed in developing countries around the world
  • and much more (www.laumc.org/compassion-week)

While Compassion Week is designed for congregation members to “worship by serving in volunteer projects throughout the Peninsula,” participation is open to the entire community; in fact, the goal is to engage 2,000+ individuals from all walks of life to come together to support the community.

“I am in awe of the passion, professionalism and commitment that the Compassion Week Planning Committee has put into organizing and promoting this very special program,” says Senior Pastor Kathi McShane, who joined the congregation earlier this year. “These are highly accomplished individuals, many of whom have achieved considerable career success, and who are now applying their talents and business acumen to make this an incredible week benefiting the common good.”

“I am delighted that CSA is honoring Los Altos United Methodist Church,” says congregant Tom Smith, former CSA Board President. “It’s such a natural fit as there are so many connections and partnerships between the two organizations. LAUMC collects canned goods once a month for CSA clients, our congregants are active CSA volunteers, and if you take a look at the agency’s leadership over the years, you’ll find a number of LAUMC members who have served on the CSA Board and who continue to be committed and connected to the cause.”

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