Through coming together on the shared basis of faith alone, disregarding denomination, a coalition of churches provides a much needed service to their local communities.
It always is best when the joy and excitement of interfaith discovery can result in substantial action for good
Interfaith Caregiver volunteer LL Sales (left) drops Barbara Hobbs off at her apartment after taking Hobbs to her physical therapy appointment in Akron. Interfaith Caregiver volunteers assist residents with transportation.
(OHIO)- For more than 30 years, a group of volunteers that calls itself the Interfaith Caregivers Program has been quietly going about the business of trying to help the ill, the frail and the elderly keep their independence as long as possible.
The program was launched in 1984, an effort by a coalition of churches that crossed all denominations. It operates with a single paid employee, director Joan Davidson, and an all-volunteer squad. Volunteers choose what tasks they are available to do for clients living on low and fixed incomes.
Most of the clients are referred by agencies, expressing a need that just doesn’t fit the mold of what other organizations do.