JONESBORO – The Jonesboro Union Church announced recently that the United Way of Eastern Maine, through its Neighbors Helping Neighbors program, has awarded the church $1,250 to help fund a winter warming center at the church’s Chandler River Community Center.

The town of Jonesboro recently awarded the church $2,500 in matching funds needed to apply for the grant.

The money, volunteers and other church resources will be used to operate the warming center from now through April 2009.

Pastor Pam Mushero said it is good to use the church’s limited resources to help in an innovative way. By putting money into heating the Chandler River Community Center, the church’s adjacent multiuse facility, and inviting individuals and families to spend their time there, the church can help reduce the amount of fuel those people need to heat their homes.

The center will open its doors beginning the week of Dec. 8 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. three days a week.

Volunteers will provide a simple noon meal, activities and social time. An opportunity to produce crafts to sell to provide residual funding for the warming center during its months of operation will be offered.

The church recently began a food pantry stocked by donations from church and community members. Columbia Supermarket gave the pantry eight boxes of foodstuffs and four Thanksgiving turkeys that church officers have begun delivering.

For more information, contact jonesborounionchurch@verizon.net; visit the Web site and blog at http://mysite.verizon.net/jonesborounionchurch and http://jonesborounionchurch.blogspot.com; or call the church office at 434-2112.