Our homeless guests arrive on Sunday, June 13. We need volunteers to help host our guests by serving meals and spending the night. We will have two families – four adults and five children – with the possible addition of another family
Contact Dan Kerns, 375-3981or dleekerns@aol.com to sign up or to learn more.
All First Presbyterian members and friends are invited to help welcome and host homeless families in our church through through Guilford Interfaith Hospitality Network (GIHN). The network guests will be at our church during the week of March 14. Read on to learn more about what volunteers do and how you would like to help. To learn more contact coordiantor Dan Kerns at 375-3981 or 324-9650.
GIHN is a group of 23 local congregations, that work with one another and the GIHN staff members, to provide temporary housing, meals and hospitality for homeless families that are working to transition to self-sufficiency.
Each Sunday, a new host congregation welcomes the GIHN families and becomes their “home” for the coming week. FPC hosts families once per quarter for a total of 4 weeks a year.
Every evening at 5 p.m., up to five families - fathers, mothers, and children from birth to teens – arrive at the local congregation. Here, volunteers welcome guests, assist in helping to get the families settled in a room, provide dinner and an opportunity to socialize with members of the congregational community. Families stay overnight in the church, eat breakfast, and depart at 7 a.m. for GIHN's day center at Paisley House.
After a day of working, caring for children, attending classes or searching for housing and employment, families are transported back to the same host congregation. Families meet weekly with the GIHN Case Manager to work on the goals each has set for themselves - finding housing, employment, going back to school, securing child care, etc. The average length of time each family stays is three to six months; six months is the maximum stay.
Set Up /Take Down Teams – Teams are needed on the Sunday guests arrive and the Sunday guests depart to help set up a room for each of our guest families. We move in portable beds and make them up with linens & blankets (about a 1 hour commitment).
Laundry Assistance – On departure Sunday, we need a few people to take linens and towels home for washing, and then have them returned to church for our next hosting week (a few loads of laundry, per volunteer at the end of hosting week).
Greeters – One or two people are needed each night to escort people from Paisley House to the Memorial Building at FPC where our guests have meals and stay over night (one hour commitment for one night of the week from 5 to approximately 6 p.m.).
Dinner Providers – One or 2 people or a small group bring a prepared meal with protein, vegetables, and dessert to feed our families. They stay and eat with our guests (an approximately 1 hour commitment, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. one day during the week plus your preparation time and food).
Note that we try to coordinate menus between volunteers so meals are different each night.
After Dinner Activities – Two volunteers arrive at 6:30 and stay until 8 or 8:15 p.m. to help with homework if needed and interact with families & children (one and a half hour commitment from 6:30 to 8 p.m., one night during the week).
Overnight Hosting – One male and one female volunteer are needed to arrive at church by 8 p.m., bring their own linens/sleeping bag & pillow, and stay overnight. Hosts have their own room(s). In the morning they wake guests (if needed) and assist with breakfast. Food is provided by the church. Hosts escort guests to Paisley House by 7 a.m. and then depart for their day (overnight commitment from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. one night during the week).
To learn more about opportunities or to volunteer your time, contact
Dan Kerns, dleekerns@aol.com, or call Dan at 375-3981 or 324-9650.
