JERSEYVILLE - Mustache March 4PD recently presented a donation check to Jersey County Churches United (JCCU), a coalition of Jersey County pastors and the Jersey County Sheriff's Department. The funds, which total over $1,000, will help the organization continue its many community outreach projects such as preparing meals and repairing homes for seniors.
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Mustache March 4PD is an Alton-based organization which promotes a more positive relationship between police departments and citizens while raising funds for items that police budgets otherwise wouldn’t allow for. The organization also raises funds that go back into the community, such as those presented to the JCCU.
In 2023, the Jersey County Sheriff’s Office set up community zone patrols and assigned a deputy to each zone in an effort to more closely engage with the community. During this process, the department discovered many Jersey County residents in need, particularly elderly residents. To help address these needs in the community, a group of local pastors, church outreach leaders, and the sheriff began meeting to discuss the needs of Jersey County, eventually joining forces as the Jersey Community Churches United (JCCU).
Today, the coalition organizes community outreach events “aimed at spreading seeds of hope, encouragement, and love in Jersey County,” according to a press release from the group. While they took a break over the holidays, they are now “ready to move ahead full steam this spring.”
Last November, the group blessed Jerseyville East and West Elementary Schools’ faculty with breakfast as they entered the building to start the day. Hardee’s, Taco Bell, Walmart, Starbucks, and Bunkhouse Joe Coffee joined the coalition to provide donated food and drinks. The JCCU provided fruit, breakfast bars, juice, and Frappuccinos, along with an encouraging prayer postcard and a mirrored button with an inspiring bible verse.
Previous outreach efforts also include last June, when volunteers came together for the senior citizens of the area - they cooked and delivered one week’s worth of meals to several homes, repaired a kitchen faucet, replaced a front door, mowed lawns, and power-washed a home.
In September of 2023, volunteers visited four homes. They replaced a front door, demolished a carport, cleaned up tree storm damage, replaced a floor, and pulled up bushes.
The group’s outreach expanded significantly in October of 2023, when volunteers visited over 15 homes. They fixed a mailbox, cleaned gutters and weeded a garden, replaced a back door, fixed a shed wall and delivered over 140 meals. RP Lumber came alongside the coalition to support these outreaches.
The alliance also supports a household goods pantry in conjunction with Diane Stumpe’s food pantry at the Got Faith Ministry building at 508 W. Pine Street in Jerseyville. Families can visit the pantry once a month and receive paper towels, toilet paper, shampoo, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, body soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and deodorant.
Several local businesses, organizations, and volunteers have lent their support to make the JCCU program a success. The organization encourages all community members to participate, whether by donating goods, volunteering their time, or through cash donations.
Cash donations can be sent to JCCU at 508 W. Pine Street, Jerseyville, Illinois 62052. Household goods can be delivered to the Got Faith Ministry building at the same address on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
To learn more about JCCU or to get involved, visit their website at jccu.church where you can sign up to volunteer or request help. They also have a Facebook page featuring pictures and videos of past outreach efforts.
For more information on Mustache March 4PD, visit their Facebook page or their website at mustachemarch4pd.com.
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