5K Supports Combined Community Services So It Can Help Others

November 12, 2022 at 12:17 a.m.


Combined Community Services helps people in their time of need with food, clothing and utility assistance.

Of course, CCS also has its own bills and the upcoming 5K raises funds for the nonprofit to pay for its operational needs, including its staff, energy and other costs,

Community Outreach Coordinator Kiira Churchill said they’re holding their annual Turkey Lurkey 5K Run/Walk on Nov. 19 in Winona Lake. The race start time is at 10 a.m.

The event will be timed by the Kosciusko County Runners Association. Winona Lake Police Department will be on hand to help facilitate the event, as well as Kosciusko County Velo

“We’re really excited to bring it back. It’s been a couple years. We haven’t had it because of the pandemic, so we’re excited to bring that back,” Churchill said.

People can register online now at runsignup.com. All the information is on the CCS website, including the registration fee.

If anyone can’t be there, Churchill said they can fundraise for CCS through runsignup.com as well.

“It’s coming back by popular demand,” Director of Client Assistance Tim Frame said. “A lot of folks have been asking us to bring this back. So we just said, ‘Let’s do it!’”

As the 5K is the weekend prior to Thanksgiving, Churchill said they “hide a turkey” in the path somewhere and whoever finds the turkey gets to take home a “cookable, frozen turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.”

There will be awards for the top finishers in each age group, first through third.

She said it’s still not too late for businesses to help sponsor the event and more information is available on the website as well.

Upcoming Event:

Toy Time

Ami Pitt, CCS Project Independence and Hand-Up case manager, said drop-off for the 29th annual Toy Time is Dec. 12-15. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Home & Family Arts Building at the county fairgrounds.

“That’s the drop-off of good, quality, playable used toys so clean out those toy boxes and bring us everything you’re done playing with,” she said. “You don’t have to do anything to them, except make sure they’re clean. We do all the processing, so we will tag them. It’s a 50-50 split of what sells. If you choose to give your 50%, too, we just love you more.”

It is a consignment sale, but people can choose to donate their proceeds from their toys that sell.

On Dec. 17-18, “is one awesome toy sale. It is like a garage sale of 150 families with nothing but children’s items,” she said.

Pitt said that when they say “toys,” that’s anything to do with kids except clothing.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 17 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 18.

The toy giveaway will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 20 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 21.

With the money CCS makes from the consignment sale, 100% of that goes to purchase new toys. “We put those with Toys for Tots toys and then ABATE brings us baby and teen items and bicycles. And all of those entities working together, cover all of our kids for Christmas,” she said, noting it’s usually around 1,700 children.

Donations of new or used Bibles also will be accepted.

Combined Community Services helps people in their time of need with food, clothing and utility assistance.

Of course, CCS also has its own bills and the upcoming 5K raises funds for the nonprofit to pay for its operational needs, including its staff, energy and other costs,

Community Outreach Coordinator Kiira Churchill said they’re holding their annual Turkey Lurkey 5K Run/Walk on Nov. 19 in Winona Lake. The race start time is at 10 a.m.

The event will be timed by the Kosciusko County Runners Association. Winona Lake Police Department will be on hand to help facilitate the event, as well as Kosciusko County Velo

“We’re really excited to bring it back. It’s been a couple years. We haven’t had it because of the pandemic, so we’re excited to bring that back,” Churchill said.

People can register online now at runsignup.com. All the information is on the CCS website, including the registration fee.

If anyone can’t be there, Churchill said they can fundraise for CCS through runsignup.com as well.

“It’s coming back by popular demand,” Director of Client Assistance Tim Frame said. “A lot of folks have been asking us to bring this back. So we just said, ‘Let’s do it!’”

As the 5K is the weekend prior to Thanksgiving, Churchill said they “hide a turkey” in the path somewhere and whoever finds the turkey gets to take home a “cookable, frozen turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.”

There will be awards for the top finishers in each age group, first through third.

She said it’s still not too late for businesses to help sponsor the event and more information is available on the website as well.

Upcoming Event:

Toy Time

Ami Pitt, CCS Project Independence and Hand-Up case manager, said drop-off for the 29th annual Toy Time is Dec. 12-15. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Home & Family Arts Building at the county fairgrounds.

“That’s the drop-off of good, quality, playable used toys so clean out those toy boxes and bring us everything you’re done playing with,” she said. “You don’t have to do anything to them, except make sure they’re clean. We do all the processing, so we will tag them. It’s a 50-50 split of what sells. If you choose to give your 50%, too, we just love you more.”

It is a consignment sale, but people can choose to donate their proceeds from their toys that sell.

On Dec. 17-18, “is one awesome toy sale. It is like a garage sale of 150 families with nothing but children’s items,” she said.

Pitt said that when they say “toys,” that’s anything to do with kids except clothing.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 17 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 18.

The toy giveaway will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 20 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 21.

With the money CCS makes from the consignment sale, 100% of that goes to purchase new toys. “We put those with Toys for Tots toys and then ABATE brings us baby and teen items and bicycles. And all of those entities working together, cover all of our kids for Christmas,” she said, noting it’s usually around 1,700 children.

Donations of new or used Bibles also will be accepted.

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