Service

In addition to our annual summer lunches and dinners, Hurlbut is proud to partner with these local and global ministries to do more good in the world:

Please bear with us as we expand the information on this page!

General Board of Global Ministries

The General Board of Global Ministries is the international mission, humanitarian relief, and development organization of the United Methodist Church.

A few of the many ministries GBGM supports:

Global health initiatives including disease prevention, water and sanitation work, maternal and child health, and more
Disaster response and humanitarian initiatives including UMCOR (see below), work with refugees, environmental sustainability and agricultural support, and more
Church engagement initiatives including support for new faith communities, multicultural church contexts, leadership development, and more
Mission work including the commissioning of missionaries both within and outside the US

GBGM is funded by the Shared Ministries (formerly called Apportionments) paid by each church to their Annual Conference, and by each Conference to the general church. These funds cover the overhead expenses of the agency so that donations can go directly to their work on the ground.

Get Involved:

Volunteer: Head to the volunteer page of the GBGM website to learn how you can help.
Donate: Send a check to Hurlbut with “GBGM” on the memo line, or give online through GBGM. Be sure to include Hurlbut in the “Church Recognition” line of your donation form!

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UMCOR

The United Methodist Committee on Relief is the best-known ministry of the General Board of Global Ministries. UMCOR coordinates relief and disaster response efforts worldwide. In wars and natural disasters alike, UMCOR is often one of the first groups on the ground offering assistance.

Like GBGM, all of UMCOR’s overhead costs are covered by churches’ Shared Ministries giving. Every dollar donated to UMCOR for relief goes directly to relief efforts in partnership with local organizations who know their regions best.

Get Involved

Volunteer: You can help prepare response kits and drop them off right here in our Conference! The Upper New York site has a list of drop-off locations. Right now, the link to kit instructions is broken, so send an email to the Disaster Response Team to learn how to make one!
Donate: Select one of the UMCOR dropdowns under “Donate” in our navigation bar, or search for a project you’re passionate about on GBGM’s website. Be sure to include Hurlbut in the “Church Recognition” line of your donation form! You can also send a check to Hurlbut with “UMCOR – Advance #” on the memo line.

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Hope Flowers School

Hope Flowers is a private K-6 school located in a small village in southern Bethlehem. They provides a full basic education with an emphasis on peace-building. Around 80% of their students live in nearby refugee camps and rely on the school to help navigate the malnutrition, poverty, and trauma that come from living through or near an ongoing war.

In addition to supporting refugee families, Hope Flowers also welcomes students of any religious or political affiliation and encourages open communication between Palestinian and Israeli children. They partner with Israeli schools to provide field trips and other opportunities for peers to learn from one another and build cooperative relationships with the goal of working toward peace.

Get Involved

Donate: You can send a check to Hurlbut with “Hope Flowers” on the memo line, or give online. When you give online, select “Service” in the designation dropdown at the end, and send us an email saying you’d like it to go to Hope Flowers in particular.

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Habitat for Humanity

Get Involved

Donate: You can send a check to Hurlbut with “Habitat” on the memo line, or give online. When you give online, select “Service” in the designation dropdown at the end, and send us an email saying you’d like it to go to Habitat for Humanity in particular.

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Rural Minds

Founded by one of Hurlbut’s own members, Rural Minds provides mental health resources and education to rural communities all over the country.

On average, mental illness is met with more silence and stigma in rural communities than in urban and suburban ones. As a result, disproportionately more people die of suicide in rural America than in other communities. Meanwhile, larger towns and cities often have better resources for folks who are struggling. Rural Minds is working to close that gap—reducing stigma, increasing education, and providing resources across rural communities.

If you or someone you know is facing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 for 24/7 support. If the crisis is a life-threatening emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest hospital emergency room. Our pastor is always available to meet you at the hospital if you would like additional support. To request this, you can text or call at any hour, or have your doctor do so.

Get Involved

Volunteer: Head to Rural Minds’ Join Us page. You can send an email to the team by clicking “Connect with Rural Minds.” On the same page, you can also find out how your company or organization can sponsor Rural Minds.
Donate: You can send a check to Hurlbut with “Rural Minds” on the memo line, or give online. When you give online, select “Service” in the designation dropdown at the end, and send us an email saying you’d like it to go to Rural Minds in particular.

Get Help

Talk to the Pastor: Consider reaching out to the pastor by email, call, or text. While pastors aren’t licensed mental healthcare providers, they can offer you support and prayer and can help you connect with a provider with the specialties you need.
Find Resources: Rural Minds’ website has a list of mental health resources, by topic and alphabetically, that may be available to you.
In a crisis?: These helplines and organizations can help you talk through what you’re facing and find your next steps for care.

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5&2 Ministry

5&2 Ministry operates across Chautauqua County to ensure that school students receive enough food to stay healthy and ready to learn. Our local schools provide breakfasts and lunches Monday through Friday, but at-risk kids don’t always have reliable meals the rest of the week.

5&2—named for the 5 loaves and 2 fish (Matthew 14:14–21)—works with our local school districts to ensure that every kid gets food on the weekends. Currently serving Bemus Point, Clymer, Panama, Sherman, and several BOCES programs, 5&2 provides bags of food to every child—no questions asked.

Get Involved

Volunteer: During the school year, you can help pack meals on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm. Each Tuesday of the month is at a different packing site: Hurlbut volunteers usually go to the Sherman First Baptist Church on third Tuesdays.
Donate: You can send a check to Hurlbut with “5&2 Ministry” on the memo line, or give online. When you give online, select “Service” in the designation dropdown at the end, and send us an email saying you’d like it to go to 5&2 Ministry in particular.

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Chautauqua County Jail Ministry

Get Involved

Donate: You can send a check to Hurlbut with “Chaut. Co. Jail Ministry” on the memo line, or give online. When you give online, select “Service” in the designation dropdown at the end, and send us an email saying you’d like it to go to Chautauqua Co. Jail Ministry in particular.

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Chautauqua County Rural Ministry

Get Involved

Donate: You can send a check to Hurlbut with “Chaut. Co. Rural Ministry” on the memo line, or give online. When you give online, select “Service” in the designation dropdown at the end, and send us an email saying you’d like it to go to Chautauqua Co. Rural Ministry in particular.

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Dunkirk Hispanic Ministry

Get Involved

Donate: You can send a check to Hurlbut with “Dunkirk Hispanic Ministry” on the memo line, or give online. When you give online, select “Service” in the designation dropdown at the end, and send us an email saying you’d like it to go to Dunkirk Hispanic Ministry in particular.

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Literacy Volunteers

Get Involved

Donate: You can send a check to Hurlbut with “Literacy Volunteers” on the memo line, or give online. When you give online, select “Service” in the designation dropdown at the end, and send us an email saying you’d like it to go to Literacy Volunteers in particular.

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Local Food Pantries

Hurlbut is proud to support the Ashville Food Shelf, Mayville Food Pantry, and Westfield Food Pantry through donations of food and funds.

Get Involved

Volunteer: Contact our office if you are available to help transport donations to our food pantry partners. You can also reach out for details about how to volunteer with one of them directly.
Donate Food: You can donate unopened, nonperishable food items by dropping them in the laundry basket inside the Scott St. entrance. Don’t forget to /licheck the expiration dates on your donations! If you need advice on what kinds of items to give, contact our office.
Donate Funds: You can send a check to Hurlbut with “Food Pantries” on the memo line, or give online. When you give online, select “Service” in the designation dropdown at the end, and send us an email saying you’d like it to go to our food pantry partners in particular.

Get Help

Ashville: Open to local residents (including Busti) Th 3:30pm to 5:30pm and Sat 9:30am to 11:30am. They also have a mobile pantry truck which operates on the Tues after the first Mon of the month from 10am to noon and 3pm to 5pm.
Ashville United Methodist Church, 2180 N Maple St.
Mayville: Open MWF 10:30am to 12:30pm, except when Chautauqua Lake Central School is closed for inclement weather.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 99 S Erie St.
Westfield: Open TW 12:30pm to 2:30pm. They post on Facebook when closing for inclement weather.
First United Methodist Church, 101 E Main St. (enter on Clinton St.)

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