Strawberry Festival a Delicious Hit

Islanders and visitors alike weren’t disappointed by this year’s Wesley United Methodist Church’s Strawberry Festival and Arts and Crafts Show. This year the church and its volunteers provided all who attended with a great two days of fun-filled, sweet-tooth satisfying delights and great treasures to pick through.

Although the event is well known for its great assortment of arts and craft vendors, along with other offerings of everything from clothing, to gadgets and puppy treats, attendees wait anxiously each year for homemade sweets that center around the succulent strawberry delights.

Last year the workers sold over 130 homemade strawberry pies, along with dish after dish of delicious strawberry shortcake from under their tent. The cakes and pie crusts are all baked by volunteers the day before and assembled fresh during the two days of the festival.

Profits from this annual event and other fundraising efforts are disbursed through the church’s missions committee. The missions committee meets monthly to identify groups, primarily local, which serve the hungry, thirsty, lonely, and sick. Wesley supports the neglected groups monetarily and with volunteers.

Some of those that receive support include the following:

St. Matthew’s House

Grace Place

Habitat for Humanity

Liberty Youth Ranch

Guatemala Mission Trip

Florida United Methodist Children’s

Home

Helping Hands

Marco Island Charter Middle School

Redbird Mission

La Piscine United Methodist Mission/

Church

Joy in the Harvest

Marco Island Center for the Arts

Two of the other important endeavors of the church include support of the local scouting troop and a program known as Mothers Morning Out. This program provides daycare for young children from 9 AM to 1 PM on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week.

The next big fundraiser and community event being sponsored at the church is its annual rummage sale. The sale will be held on March 10th from 8 AM to noon. Donations will be accepted at Wesley’s Fellowship Hall on Thursday, March 8th from 1:30 PM to 3 PM, and Friday, March 9th from 10 AM to 3 PM. Come and shop on Saturday, March 10th and bring your friends, neighbors, and anyone you know that may be interested. The church is located at 350 South Barfield Drive on Marco Island.