When we purchased 1010 East Avenue in 1943, we thought we were going to tear it down to make room for the new church building. But, the needs of the larger community changed, and the importance of our Community Outreach Center has grown. Over the last seventy-five years, the city of Rochester has experienced unprecedented growth in poverty.
The child poverty rate has grown to 51.9%.
The extreme poverty rate has increased to 16.8%.
We now rank 3rd in overall poverty among the nation’s seventy-five largest metropolitan areas.
The pandemic has shown the increased need for the services we provide, and thanks to your generosity, we can make sure that 1010 East Avenue continues to be a home for our community.
At Asbury First, we’re committed to reaching out directly with those in need. Powered by more than 200 volunteers and generous donations, our Community Outreach Center is constantly growing and evolving.
Services include hot meals, medical care, personal hygiene, hair care, and laundry assistance, help with bicycles and baking, job searches and computer access, a storehouse full of clothes and home goods, even help to apply for SNAP benefits. Here’s how you can do more good today.
Donate to outreach ministries Donate to COVID-19 Relief Fund
Learn about the strategic plan "A Way Forward for Outreach"
The Asbury First Dining & Caring Center (D&CC), is on the lower level of 1010 East Avenue location. We serve hot, nutritious meals and provide other assistance in a respectful, welcoming environment to those in need. And we’re always looking for volunteers.
The Dining Center will reopen on September 7th with the following schedule:
Breakfast served Wednesday–Friday, 7-9 am at Covenant United Methodist Church
(1124 Culver Road) — Bus Number 41 (Culver/Goodman Crosstown)
Sunday Lunch served 1–2 pm at Asbury First United Methodist Church (main church building)
For anyone struggling to create a living space with essential household items and clothing, the Storehouse is here to help. We distribute clothing plus all kinds of durable home goods—kitchenware, linens, children's books, games, and toys (please note that we do not accept furniture). Your high-quality donations are welcome throughout the year.
We have temporarily discontinued taking referrals, accepting donations and scheduling shoppers
until we have relocated to our new space at 1010 East Ave. however, we are getting very close to reopening!
• We will start to make appointments beginning on Feb. 6th for in-person shopping beginning Feb. 27th!
• We will begin accepting donations on Feb. 13th in our new donation building located at 1010 East Ave.
Other organizations providing clothing and or household goods for your
reference while we are closed, see below:
1. Children's Clothes Closet (585) 368-3030
2. Open Door mission- Clothing Distribution 156 N. Plymouth Avenue, Rochester,
New York 14608 (585)-454-6696 ext. 1256
3. Cameron Community Ministries 48 Cameron St, Rochester, NY 14606 254-2697
ext. 108
4. St. Vincent DePaul Ministries ( Housewares Only) 124 Evergreen St.
Rochester, NY 14605 (585)-338-2330
5. Matthews Closet Clothing Ministries and Thrift Shop 316 Bay Street
Rochester, NY 14605 (585) 232-5160
6. Community Lutheran Ministry 942 Joseph Avenue Rochester, NY 14621
585.338.2420
We are beyond blessed and are grateful for your continued support of the Asbury Storehouse. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact us at asburystorehouse@asburyfirst.org or call 585-271-1050 x137.
A collaborative outreach program with University of Rochester School of Medicine, the clinic is staffed by medical students working with a doctor preceptor. Open by appointment only for a variety of free non-emergency services, we rely on the funding from donors like you.
The UR Well Clinic is currently open for scheduled appointments only on Thursday evenings. The clinic will be open from 6-8 pm in 1040 until 1/12 and then will be moving over to the new Community Outreach Center (1010 East Avenue) on 1/19. The clinic offers work physicals and acute care, providing care to 4-6 patients per clinic evening. For more information, call the church office at 585-271-1050, ext. 100.
We deliver 80 bags of much-needed groceries each month to one or two of our partner inner-city churches, where they are distributed to needy congregations members, and to the Keeping Our Promise (KOP) Refugees, a support program to assist recent family arrivals. Food is donated by Asbury First members. Volunteers organize and bag the groceries, and facilitate delivery. It’s a collaboration that tackles food uncertainty in our community head-on.
The Community Garden at Asbury First provides fresh produce for the Dining & Caring Center meals and guests, and for the Grocery Bag Ministry partner churches and Keeping Our Promise Rochester refugee program. Through our efforts we also build relationships, provide education, hands-on learning experiences, meaningful service opportunities, and bring life and purpose to a previously unused and neglected portion of the campus.
Click here for more information about current planting, tending, harvesting needs, or other updates on our Facebook page.
For more information about any of our outreach programs, please contact Rev. Patrick Dupont at pdupont@asburyfirst.org or by calling 585-271-1050 x136.