Part of what Rice Road is trying to do is reach out to our community to build better community relationships and to this end, we have 2 projects that we are currently working on.  These are outlined below.

Bags for Beds

One of the latest project we have taken on is "Bags for Beds".  This uniquely Canadian project converts the outer bags of 4 litre milk packages into beds for people in need.  We collect the bags and then weave them into a bed. 

Our ministry continues in full swing and we have seen tremendous involvement and support for this ministry!! From the thousands upon thousands of milk bags that have been brought in, the bag cutters and loopers and rollers, the crocheters, to the ones sewing the sheets/blankets, we have been able to turn in nearly 50 beds ready for shipping to Haiti.  We have actually seen pictures of some of the beds being used in a clinic in Haiti after the earthquake earlier this year!!  That was so rewarding!!
 
Our need is still great and some of our folks need a break now and then, so if you are able to join up and take a turn in one of the areas of creation of the beds, please let me know. 
 
We especially need folks who can crochet (simple single crochet stitch for entire mat!) and those who can do a simple sewing project to make the small blankets that go with the mat.  Even if you have friends outside of RRCC who could help with this, we would be grateful.
 
Besides the bags, we can always use used blankets/sheets in good condition or new cotton fabric to help with the covering of the mats.
 
Another way to minister to the folks in Haiti who will be receiving these beds, is to pray.  You can pray as you deliver bags, as you cut bags, as you crochet or as you sew, that those who will use these beds will be blessed by God and that He will give them healing, peace, a hope and a future in Him.
 
Thanks for all that you have been doing so far.     Chris Gillespie  905-892-0778  gillespie_home@cogeco.ca.since. 

Reface Welland

Reface Welland is a community supported organization run through volunteers and the financial aid from the Welland Community. Reface Welland is about helping people in the community to complete projects on the exterior or interior of their homes when there are financial, mental or physical impairments preventing homeowners from doing it themselves.

We ask anyone in the community to contact us either by phone or email with good candidates for the program or if they are interested in helping us help others.

Whether homeowners need a fence fixed or painted, a lawn cut, a tree removed, a staircase made safe, a wheel chair ramp constructed or a wall that to be painted; they should contact us. Heck we even do windows.

We cover a wide array of jobs and will attempt to complete them all.  For samples of our work, check out these pics.

You can get in touch with Reface Welland by calling (905) 988-7534 or sending us an email. 

Open Arms Mission

The Open Arms Mission is one of the many organizations that RRCC works with in the community to better serve the needs of others. We regularly have collection bins for food donations and participate in their annual drives for finances.  This organization also accepts donations of gently used goods to help those that use this service.  If interested, you can contact the mission via their web site link above.

The Great Cell Phone Recycle

Hundreds of thousands of cell phones are tossed every year and Rice Road wants to help change this.  We have placed some cell-phone recycling boxes around the city at various retailers to help keep our planet a little greener and to help give life to your otherwise unused phones.  If you have a cell that is just taking up space, please take it to your nearest recycling box and drop it in.  Here are a few of the locations where you can drop off your old phones.