Our mission is to build a bridge between racial, cultural, educational, and economic divisions within the community.
Our mission is to build a bridge between racial, cultural, educational, and economic divisions within the community.
September Message From the Board of Directors
Where did those summer months go so fast? Fall is at our doorstep and we look forward to the cooler weather. A thank you to the special assistants who helped to make this year’s Volunteer Appreciation Dinner so memorable. This handful of helpers obtained door prizes, set up the hall, distributed ice cream, popcorn and tea as well as welcomed guests at the door and cleaned up afterwards. All of these efforts contributed to a special evening for our committed volunteers who truly have hearts of gold.
At its August meeting, the Board of Directors discussed the options for using the Bethany Christian Church building. After careful comparison of the space in The Corner Shoppe and the church building, the board voted to move the thrift store operations to the church and move the office and food pantry to the current thrift store building. This option provides more floor space for the store and will hopefully bring in additional revenue. Moving the administrative office to 601 North Main (the current thrift store location) is a return to our original office space. There is sufficient room remaining in this building to open a client choice food pantry. Prior to moving the store, we will make some repairs and changes to the church building. We hope to complete the remodeling by the end of the year and move the thrift store into its new location in January 2022. The office will move shortly after the store is moved.
With these changes, we will be close to completing Phase 1 improvements. We remain grateful to all of you who have supported our capital campaign. Your contributions are making these improvements possible.
Bridge Ministry of Burton, Texas — Board of Directors
Bill Comiskey, Treasurer
Barbara Donnelly, Secretary
Ivenus Garcia, Vice President
Madeline Johnson, President
Pastor Marcus Snowden
Building a Better Burton
Bridge Ministry of Burton Texas is proud to partner with Greenvine Emmanuel Lutheran Church, St. Paul Lutheran Church of Rehburg, and Zion Lutheran Church in “God’s Work. Our Hands.”
Each year the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America dedicates a weekend to “God’s work. Our hands.” Service activities offer an opportunity to explore one of the most basic convictions as Lutherans: that all of life in Jesus Christ – every act of service, in every daily calling, in every corner of life – flows freely from a living, daring confidence in God’s grace.
We also have been blessed by contributions from these generous community donors: Haven Blakey LLC (bulldozer work), Texas Commercial Waste (free rental on a 30-yard dumpster), True Blue Animal Rescue (donated dog kennels) and Woodmen Life (underwriting paint).
True Blue Animal Rescue plans to install dog kennels early in September with the assistance of volunteers from Texas A&M. Woodmen Life is sending a crew of ten to paint two accessibility ramps with special anti-skid latex paint. We still need volunteers and/or site leaders for the following projects:
Site 1: Remove yard debris, build an 8’ x 8’ front porch
Site 2: Remove yard debris, install 25’ of skirting on a manufactured home
Site 3: Tear down side porch that collapsed in February’s freeze and haul away material, discard two large sofas, cut down small trees against side of house, fill low spot of yard with pit gravel
Site 4: Shore up sagging bathroom in manufactured home, replace skirting
All sites: Haul debris to waiting utility trailers and then load into dumpster
Hospitality: Bring water, sodas and snacks to our five work sites
Won’t you volunteer a couple of Saturday mornings to help improve the living conditions of our Burton neighbors who are disabled, homebound, or senior citizens?
Let us know you’re coming by calling 979-337-3370 or emailing burtonbridgeministry@gmail.com. Financial donations also are needed and helpful.
Progress On Our 2021-2022 Capital Campaign
We have set a capital campaign goal of raising $250,000 over a two-year period; immediate priorities include enhancing our food and feeding programs and expanding our thrift store retail space. Your generous contributions to our capital campaign with lending provided by Carmine State Bank have allowed us to move forward with Phase 1 of our expansion and acquire the Bethany Christian Church property. The temporary relocation of the thrift store to the church building provides the opportunity for increased revenue for funding our ministries for children, seniors, and the food insecure.
Phase 2 of the campaign is to place a second building on the vacant lot next to the church building (corner of N. Brazos and E. Burton). When this happens, the thrift store and furniture sales will be consolidated into that building. The church building can then be used for our administrative office and a small community event hall (senior meals, Lunch-and-Learn job seminars, youth programs). The food pantry will be located in one of these two buildings, depending on the size of the second structure.
To continue our movement forward, we need your financial support. Won’t you join us in giving to our capital campaign? Donations can be made:
From our website at burtonbridgeministry.org/Donate
Via paypal using our email address: burtonbridgeministry@gmail.com
By visiting https://www.gofundme.com/growing-with-gods-grace-capital-campaign
By mailing your check to Burton Bridge Ministry, P.O. Box 68, Burton, Texas 77835
By participating in our Pioneer Smokehouse fundraiser on September 9, or by making plans to join us on November 11 with White Horse Tavern’s concert series at the Burton Community Center.
Mark Your Calendars
October 30 — Trick or Treat Trail 2021; http://www.burtontexas.org/Trickortreattrail2021
November 11 — Fundraiser in conjunction with White Horse Tavern. Stay tuned for exciting details!
November 21 — Community Thanksgiving Dinner (free to the Burton Community), Burton Community Center
Pioneer Smokehouse & Mercantile is partnering up with Burton Bridge Ministry for a FAN-tastic Fundraiser!
Head on over to Pioneer Smokehouse & Mercantile at 309 South Park St. in Brenham on Thursday, September 9 between 11 a.m.-2 p.m. or 5-10 p.m.
10% of ALL sales benefit Burton Bridge Ministry
Dine in with the family
Place your order to-go
Shop for merch at the Mercantile
Place your order for the big day and pick it up later (pick up your pre-order forms at The
Corner Shoppe)
Whether you’re hosting a gathering for the big game, having friends and family over during the Washington County Fair, or just chillaxing at home, Let Pioneer Smokehouse and Mercantile handle the cooking. Stock up on gift cards, get your hats and Texana in the mercantile, and treat the family to a heaping helping of chopped brisket, pulled pork or tasty smoked meats. Wash it all down with a Dr Pepper float and come back for seconds!
Senior Fellowship and Meal
Never miss a day of fun when it comes to our Senior Fellowship and Meal. New! No reservations are necessary for dine-in service; we’d love to see you on Fridays! The recommended donation is $4.
Where: St. John’s UCC, Family Life Center, 516 North Colorado, Burton
When:
Fellowship and games from 10 a.m. until noon
Bingo at 11 a.m.
Lunch is served at noon
Upcoming Menus:
September 3: No meal — Labor Day holiday weekend
September 10: Swedish meatballs, noodles, broccoli salad, French bread
September 17: King Ranch casserole, salad, bread (On Deck)
September 24: Taco Lasagna, Mexican corn, chips (White Horse Tavern)
We no longer offer the drive-thru senior meal option. If you want a “to go” meal, you can pre-order the meal by calling 979-337-3370 no later than the Tuesday preceding the Friday but must come inside to pick up your meal. We will serve our dine-in seniors first and then prepare the “to go” meals. We suggest you arrive at 12:10 p.m. to pick up your meal.
If you’re 55+ or have health issues that require you to stay home, let one of our volunteers deliver a hot meal to you each Friday at no charge. Call team leader Pat Ahlhardt at 979-421-0972 for information. Our delivery area is limited to Burton.
The Corner Shoppe thrift store
Mark your calendars because the first full (Thursday-Saturday) weekend of the month brings fabulous savings on clothing (September 2-4 and October 7-9).
The second full weekend of the month features discounted shoes (September 9-11 and October 14-16).
Don’t forget that we also sell larger pieces of furniture through Facebook Marketplace. Look for Burton and if the seller is board member Barbara Donnelly then you’ve found our virtual store.
Discover unbelievable savings on clothing, shoes, home décor and linens during our three-day 1/2
PRICE SALE on the entire store next month! We’re rolling out never-before-seen inventory so
shop and save with us OCTOBER 21-23.
The Corner Shoppe
601 North Main, Burton, Texas | Open 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Thursdays-Saturdays
Facebook.com/burtoncornershoppe
Fall Pantry Drive
With the support of directed donations and our partner churches, Burton Bridge Ministry’s mini pantry is up and running! Now clients within the Burton I.S.D. service area can stop by for proteins (beef, turkey, chicken and eggs), and can select the items they need from the donations you provide. Thank you so much!
September-November — Christmas is always a special time of year for our pantry clients. Please help us build Advent bundles by collecting these premium foods: Jelly, peanut butter, mustard, ketchup, steak sauce, cooking oil, Ranch dressing, coffee and/or creamer, syrup, salt and pepper or seasoning packet (any flavor), sugar or flour, Miracle Whip, BBQ sauce, roll of paper towels, box of Christmas candy or cookies.
December-January — Please donate cleaning products: dish soap, toilet bowl cleaner, spray cleaner with bleach, sponges, cleaning brush, wet wipes, boxes of powdered laundry detergent (we will repackage in baggies and label with washing instructions).
Ongoing — Help re-stock our shelves with canned goods (soups, vegetables and fruits), juices, boxed starches or anything else you’d enjoy for yourself. To arrange for the pick-up of donations, contact Burton Bridge Ministry at 979-337-3370 or burtonbridgeministry@gmail.com.
Donations also may be brought to our administrative office during business hours: 12607 West Washington, Burton (next to Los Patrones), Tuesdays 3:30-6 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays 8:30-11 a.m., Saturdays 8-11 a.m.
We Are Growing...
With the coming acquisition of the Bethany Christian Church property, there will be many more opportunities for neighbors to chip in and help out. Won’t you join us in keeping expenses down by volunteering to help with maintenance and operations? Call 979-337-3370 or email
burtonbridgeministry@gmail.com if you can help.
Bridge Ministry of Burton, Texas shares God’s love through action and giving, and our town is strengthened when we all work together and bring unity to the community. We are in this together, and we depend on your time and talent.
Won’t you consider joining the more than 168 volunteers who dedicated 5,147 service hours to our community over the past year?
Please note that, due to COVID-19, we ask that you coordinate with the team leaders before volunteering. This helps us follow CDC guidelines for the number of persons in each space.
Visit https://burtonbridgeministry.org/Volunteer
Manna Mobile Food Pantry
Upcoming food pantry dates are September 17, October 15, November 19 and December 15, 2021. Food is distributed from 10 a.m. until noon (or until the food runs out) from the parking lot of St. John’s United Church of Christ, 516 North Colorado, Burton.
We will re-enroll all pantry clients during the September food pantry (this happens once a year). Each client must visit in person to fill out the application; after that first visit they can send somebody else to pick up their food. Call 979-337-3370 if you cannot attend on Friday mornings but still need food assistance.
Volunteers are invited to help with set-up (8-10 a.m.), during food distribution (10-11:30 a.m.), or to put away tables and deliver to the homebound (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.).
Our mobile food pantry serves Washington County residents who qualify through the Texas Commodity Assistance Program.
Number of household members = 1; income should not exceed $23,828 (annually), $1,986 (monthly) or $459 (weekly)
Number of household members = 2; income should not exceed $32,227 (annually), $2,686 (monthly) or $620 (weekly)
Number of household members = 4; income should not exceed $49,025 (annually), $4,086 (monthly) or $943 (weekly)
Visit burtonbridgeministry.org/Get-Help for the income guidelines for households with a larger number of family members.
Other ways to qualify include individuals who are receiving one or more of the following types of assistance: Temporary Assistance To Needy Families (TANF / AFDC), SNAP (Food Stamps), SSI, Medicaid, CHIP or WIC. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Bridge Ministry of Burton, Texas • 12607 W. Washington or by mail at P.O. Box 68, Burton, Texas 77835
burtonbridgeministry.org • burtonbridgeministry@gmail.com • 979-337-3370