Acts 4 Ministry Seeking Donations Through July For Back-To-School Swap & Shop

During June and July 2017, Acts 4 Ministry, Inc. in Waterbury will welcome donations for their 13^th annual Back-to-School “Swap and Shop” of school uniform tops and bottoms to be held in August. During the “Swap and Shop,” these uniforms will be distributed free or at low costs to children throughout Greater Waterbury. Photographed at the 2016 "Swap and Shop" were Iliana Delgado and her daughter of Waterbury.

The non-profit non-denominational Acts 4 Ministry will welcome monetary donations during June and July plus new or gently-used uniform tops in white, blue (any shade), black or gray, and bottoms in khaki, navy, black and gray. All sizes will be accepted, sizes 6, 7, 8, and above are especially needed. School accessories are also needed including book bags, lunch bags, rulers, folders and writing tools.

To date, Acts 4 Ministry, Inc. has gratefully accepted donations of $2,500 for this drive from William Tomasso of New Britain, and $1,500 from the Mustard Seed Fund of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church of Southbury.

The charitable Acts 4 Ministry, Inc. welcomes individuals or families who have suddenly lost their homes to a fire, flood or other unexpected devastation or upsetting life event to visit their Thomaston Avenue retail shop to personally select, at no charge, clothing, dishes, glassware, furnishings, and items to meet other basic needs. The organization is dedicated to building relationships with people while providing them with the basics of daily living needs.

“We partner with churches, social service agencies, and public schools to help identify and serve people with these needs regardless of their faith, race, creed, or national origin, or their willingness to participate in religious activities,” explained Acts 4 Ministry Executive Director Sarah Elizabeth Carabetta.

Each year the organization distributes over 25,000 articles of clothing plus over 4,000 pieces of furniture to over 150 homes within Greater Waterbury. People of varying income levels are served, appointments are necessary. The Back-to-School Program is one of several Acts 4 Ministry’s ongoing programs to distribute resources to families throughout the area.

Donations can be brought to the Acts 4 Ministry offices and retail shop at their 1713 Thomaston Avenue location in Waterbury between 9:00 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and Saturdays be9:00 am and 12:00 pm. Items can also be placed in the Acts 4 Ministry Donation Box outside their building. Please mark donations “School Items”. If needed, large collections of items can be picked up by Acts 4 Ministry during the last week of July.

Monetary tax deductible donations can be U.S. Mailed to Acts 4 Ministry, Inc., PO Box 4524, Waterbury, CT 06704 with a memo “Back to School drive”.

To learn more about Acts 4 Ministry, Inc., and a listing of current tax-deductible donation needs, visit www.acts4.org or contact Sarah Elizabeth Carabetta at 203-574-2287 or via email to executivedirector@acts4.org.