Meet Your Neighbor: Sarah Crist has a heart to help those in need
CLYDE — On July 23, downtown Clyde will be transformed into a Candy Land Carnival. The event will feature food trucks, vendors, candy, prizes, water fun, and a classic car show.
The carnival serves as the annual fundraiser for Grace Bags 6:26, a local nonprofit ministry that provides care bags filled with toiletries, food and other essentials for people in need.
Grace Bags was founded by Sarah Crist of Clyde as a way to help the homeless, but the ministry has since expanded to local schools and organizations. Sarah said she began giving away care bags to the homeless long before Grace Bags was formed.
“I started doing this before it was actually a thing,” Crist said. “I would make up bags with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, crackers, and soap and make my husband drive me around big cities. First and foremost, I wanted to reach the people who were not getting to the shelters.”
Crist's efforts to help the homeless have evolved
Her mission to help the homeless evolved into Grace Bags, and her sister, Jenny Culbertson, joined the mission. Now they make two types of bags: Small bags for the homeless include travel size toiletries, toothbrushes, snacks, socks and, in the colder months, hats and gloves; and large bags for schools include full-size toiletries such as shampoo, deodorant, and body wash, as well as baby wipes and socks.
Crist’s connection with the schools began when she learned many students don’t have the funds to buy basic toiletries. She donates Grace Bags to schools in the Fremont and Clyde-Green Springs school districts, and she would like to expand to other districts as well.
“I learned some of the schools have pantries or closets where kids can get supplies. They want to keep it private, so I started putting the supplies in backpacks instead of bags so it doesn’t look like they just left the closet,” Crist said.
In addition to the schools, Crist has also donated Grace Bags to the Corporate Anointing Ministries sober living house, Heartbeat Hope Medical, and St. Vincent De Paul.
“I also give the sober living house big bags of laundry soap and shower supplies because they have a house full,” Crist said.
Crist said she would like to expand the ministry to include recipients such as cancer centers.
“We have all these ideas and plans. We pray about it and pray about it,” she said. “Whatever we do, the whole idea is to bless somebody with a Grace Bag. I picked 'Grace' for the name because we all need to show grace to each other and we all need grace.”
The “6:26” part of the name comes from a Bible verse, Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” The verse reflects Crist’s compassion for those in need.
“Whenever I would be listening to a sermon in church, and they would talk about your calling, about what you’re supposed to do, it was always the homeless for me,” she said.
Candy Land Carnival to raise funds for Grace Bags
Crist is hoping many people will support the Candy Land Carnival by participating or attending. The City of Clyde has already supported the event by donating bed tax money, but Crist is looking for more vendors and classic cars for the car show.
“I’m really excited because we’re having a waterslide, a candy canon and splash pads,” Crist said. “There will be a tent where families can come, and the kids can fill a small bag for $10 or a school bag for $20. It will teach the kids to give back.”
Donations of supplies can be dropped off at Clyde Nutrition, and monetary donations can be made by Venmo or check. For more information on Grace Bags, the Candy Land Carnival, or making donations, visit gracebags626.com the Grace Bags 6:26 Facebook page.
Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheritrusty4@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Meet Your Neighbor: Sarah Crist has a heart to help those in need
