Jesus said to him, “Feed My Sheep” - John 21:17
The Lancaster/Northumberland
Interfaith Service Council
© 2010-2011 The Lancaster/Northumberland Interfaith Service Council, Inc.
Interfaith News
The Interfaith Service Council Board of Directors is pleased to report that Interfaith reached its financial goal of$100,000 in 2010. Please refer to the attached financial report and charts for detailed financial information.
Program Reports
INTERFAITH TELEPHONE LINE: Many begin their search for financial help by calling our telephone message line. Telephone volunteer Sue Ellen takes and returns each call, and passes them to the screener. Calls asking for information or to arrange a donation are also answered promptly. Last year Interfaith received 458 calls for financial assistance, 405 calls for furniture and appliances and 30 calls for home repair.
SCREENING: Applicant screening is done twice a week, at Interfaith’s office. The office was completed last fall. Built by volunteers using designated funds, it provides a quiet, private place to talk with those who need help. Interfaith is very grateful for the financial support and the hundreds of volunteer hours that made this possible.
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE: This program was our largest financial outlay in 2010. Families needing emergency help with utility bills and rent come to Interfaith in several ways. Some are referred to Interfaith by pastors or by the Departments of Social Services, or by other agencies. In these cases no further screening is necessary. Many hear about Interfaith from others and call without church or agency referral. In these cases, their needs are evaluated to determine the next step. None are turned away without a chance to share their problems and need for help.
Occasionally Interfaith provides emergency food boxes and overnight motel accommodations when emergency shelter is needed. The need for emergency food boxes is not so great as in the past since there are now several Food Pantries in our area.
HOME REPAIR AND CONSTRUCTION: Older or disabled property owners who are in need of household repairs often cannot afford to make their houses safe and comfortable. Some are confined to their homes because they use a wheelchair. Due to the economic downturn, funding for this program was difficult, but Joe Curry, the program director, says: “Interfaith was blessed with a number of support groups. We took full advantage of their generosity and with their help we took care of the most serious problems. Our grateful thanks go to Bay Aging, the Lions Club, Creek Carpentry, Northern Neck Kiwanis, Wicomico Parish Episcopal Church and especially St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Fleeton and the Southside Church of the Nazarene, led by David Lacy. Thanks also to the partners who through oversight are not listed here.”
Some of our accomplishments, not including the projects funded by Bay Aging and St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Fleeton, were: 6 new roofs installed, 3 roof repaired, 27 wheelchair ramps constructed, 11plumbing repairs; 13 windows replaced; 9 unsafe floors repaired; 5 hot water heaters and 2 water pumps installed, and 1 bedroom addition, completely constructed from the ground up.
SUMMER PROJECTS: Summer is a popular time for volunteers to work on building ramps, painting and making property improvements. A highlight of last summer’s volunteer projects included the annual Nail and Sail program, in which an enthusiastic group of young people built furniture for distribution at the Warehouse.
INTERFAITH WAREHOUSE: The collection and distribution of donated household furnishings is one of Interfaith’s most well known programs. The warehouse building, constructed in 1996, houses donated furniture and household goods. Families and individuals needing to replace household items may apply for these items at no cost to them. Interfaith Warehouse volunteers served approximately 300 people/families during2010. Yvonne Williams, Warehouse manager, maintains careful records of inventory and distribution. She reports:
This year, 158 beds were distributed. This includes mattress, springs, frame and
linens. Breakdown of this figure is: 69twin, 43 double, 35 queen and 11 king-
Warehouse hours of operation are 10 a.m. – 12noon every Monday and 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. every Wednesday. An hour was added to the Wednesday schedule this year to meet increased client need. Those wishing warehouse services are screened once a year for continued eligibility.
Because of early cold weather, the warehouse asked WalMart for help with purchase
of small electric heaters. WalMart gave us a generous donation which, combined with
donations from two fund-
Many thanks also to faithful volunteers, Nancy Johannes, Nancy Garvey and Cathy Gregory who sort incoming donations, prepare linens for distribution, and whose input and ideas are valuable to the ongoing success of the Warehouse operation.
PROPERTY MAINTENANCE: Many helpful improvements were made this year by Tony Stanley, Stock Bates, Willie Woods and others, most importantly the new office and a new sign marking the Interfaith property driveway. Insulation and wiring in the Warehouse was repaired. Porter and Lynn White and their volunteer crew worked many weeks removing brush and trash. Wiring will soon be in place to light up the new sign at night. Additional lighting was added to the outside of the Warehouse, with many thanks to Willie Woods for his help. The parking lot is now lighted on dark winter evenings. The new lighting was paid for by donations for that specific purpose.
The Boys & Girls Club in Kilmarnock sent volunteer students to help out during Warehouse
hours of operation. They provided much-
HOME DELIVERED MEALS: Interfaith continues to coordinate the delivery of meals to elderly and disabled neighbors in need. Working with Bay Aging, Kathy Broderick and Chris Naumann organize through local churches the volunteer delivery of thousands of home delivered meals each year.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES PROJECT: The Northumberland and Lancaster county school guidance counselors were faxed a list of supplies, asked to complete and return by August of 2010. Once the list was received, Judy Fay and Michelle Lewis purchased the requested supplies and distributed them to the 6 local schools. The total amount spent this year was $2500. With the cost of supplies increasing, we believe $5000 is an adequate budget for this program.
CHRISTMAS FOOD DRIVE: The Christmas Food Drive was held December 11, 2010. Letters were mailed to member churches asking them to collect food and deliver it to St. Andrews on Friday, December 9th. On Saturday, December 11 a team of volunteers sorted the food and the local food banks arrived at 10 am to pick up their portion of the food. The amount of food collected was slim this year. We might want to determine if there is still a need for this event since other organizations are also looking for donations of this type.
We are thankful for the blessings God has given Interfaith as the old year closes and a new year begins. Interfaith helped many neighbors in need, in many ways. We continue to serve others where the need is great, following Jesus as he directed, “Feed My Sheep.”
Jeannie Kling
President