Volunteers In Service Vis

TO ENABLE CHURCHES TO BE CHRIST'S CARING SERVANTS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

THINGS BEGAN TO GET A LITTLE MORE "NORMAL" AS FAR AS COVID WAS CONCERNED, BUT WE CONTINUED TO RECEIVE A LOT OF REQUESTS FOR PICKUPS FROM FOOD PANTRIES AND RIDES TO THE GROVERY STORE. THIS REDUCED OUR ABILITY TO PROCESS AS MANY OF THE RELATIONAL/ONGOING REQUESTS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO; THINGS LIKE A FRIENDLY VISITOR OR HELP WITH CLEANING. HOWEVER, OVERALL NUMBERS IN THE RELATIONAL/ONGOING REQUESTS ACTUALLY ROSE A BIT. OVERALL, VOLUNTEERS IN SERVICE CONNECTED 1,612 CHURCH AND SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS WHO PUT IN 7,522 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE IN 2022. THIS IS AN INCREASE IN VOLUNTEERS BY 38% AND AN INCREASE IN VOLUNTEER HOURS BY 70% WHEN COMPARED TO 2021 THIS IS CONFIRMATION THAT THINGS WERE GETTING BACK TO MORE NORMAL, BOTH IN TERMS OF PEOPLE BEING SERVED AND IN TERMS OF VOLUNTEERS. THE BREAKDOWNS OF THESE NUMBERS ARE AS FOLLOWS: BENEVOLENCE VOLUNTEERS: 109 VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTED 183 HOURS TO PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY BY HELPING WITH THINGS LIKE FOOD PANTRY PICK-UP, GROCERY SHOPPING FOR AN INDIVIDUAL, RUNNING ERRANDS FOR CLIENTS, AND OTHER SPECIAL SERVICES. 71% OF THESE SERVICES HELPED PROVIDE FOOD AND BABY ITEMS FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE UNABLE TO GET TO FOOD OR BABY PANTRIES. THESE NUMBERS REPRESENT A 14% DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS AND A 32% DECREASE IN VOLUNTEER HOURS. THIS IS PRIMARILY ATTRIBUTED TO THE FACT THAT WE NO LONGER DELIVER FURNITURE FROM THE FURNITURE MINISTRY AND WE ARE TAKING FEWER REQUESTS FOR FURNITURE AS A RESULT OF THE NO DELIVERY RULE. SERVICE PROJECT VOLUNTEERS: 1,235 CHURCH AND SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS PROVIDED 6,340 HOURS OF SERVICE COMPLETING SERVICE PROJECTS. 518 OF THESE VOLUNTEERS, WHO PUT IN 1,697 HOURS OF SERVICE, PROVIDING SERVICES SMALLER IN SCOPE SUCH AS MOWING A LAWN, HELPING MOVE FURNITURE TO STORAGE, CLEANING AN APARTMENT AFTER A MOVE, OR PAINTING. OF THESE SERVICE PROJECT VOLUNTEERS, 717 PEOPLE FROM CHURCH AND SCHOOL GROUPS GAVE 4,643 HOURS WORKING ON LARGER SCALE PROJECTS SUCH AS LOCAL AGENCY CLEAN-UP, MORE EXTENSIVE YARD WORK, ALLEY CLEAN UP, LARGER PAINTING PROJECTS, AND SMALL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS SUCH AS BUILDING A RAISED GARDEN OR REPAIRING A DECK. THIS IS AN INCREASE IN HOURS BY 153% IN 2022 THIS DEMONSTRATES THINGS WERE GETTING BACK TO MORE NORMAL PRE-COVID NUMBERS. WHILE SERVICE PROJECTS ARE TYPICALLY ONE OR TWO DAY PROJECTS, THE VOLUNTEERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SPEND TIME WITH AND BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH THOSE THEY ARE SERVING. IN THIS WAY, THEY ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE THROUGH THE WORK THEY DO, BUT ALSO THROUGH THE LIVES THEY TOUCH IN SHARING JOY, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND HOPE IN THE NAME OF CHRIST. SOCIAL VOLUNTEERS: THERE WERE 14 CHURCH VOLUNTEERS WHO PROVIDED 255 HOURS OF FRIENDLY VISITOR, MOTHER'S HELPER, PHONE VISITOR, AND SOCIAL OUTING SERVICES FOR THOSE STRUGGLING IN THE COMMUNITY. SOCIAL VOLUNTEERS ARE MORE RELATIONALLY CONNECTED AND OFFER ONGOING SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE AND ARE LONGER TERM CONNECTIONS. THEY TYPICALLY SERVE AN AVERAGE OF FOUR HOURS PER MONTH VISITING WITH LONELY, ISOLATED PEOPLE, BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS AND FRIENDSHIP. THOSE THEY SERVE USUALLY HAVE LITTLE TO NO SUPPORT IN THEIR LIFE AND OFTEN ARE NOT CONNECTED TO A CHURCH. THROUGH THEIR LOVE OF CHRIST, VOLUNTEERS BRING HOPE AND JOY INTO THE LIVES OF OTHERS. THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS SERVING IN THIS CATEGORY IS 17% HIGHER THAN IN 2021 AND THE HOURS WERE 33% HIGHER. TRANSPORTATION VOLUNTEERS: TRANSPORTATION HAS BECOME A VITAL SERVICE TO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. 254 VOLUNTEERS PROVIDED 744 HOURS OF SERVICE TRANSPORTING COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO MEDICAL, MENTAL HEALTH, AND DENTAL APPOINTMENTS, AND TO THE GROCERY STORE, BANK, AND OTHER ERRANDS. THIS REPRESENTS A 25% INCREASE IN VOLUNTEERS AND A 4% INCREASE IN VOLUNTEER HOURS FOR TRANSPORTATION FROM 2021. FOR MANY PEOPLE, VOLUNTEERS IN SERVICE PROVIDED ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE THAT THEY MIGHT OTHERWISE NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RECEIVE. VIS IS UNIQUE IN THAT WE ARE THE ONLY FREE SERVICE THAT PROVIDES RIDES TO MEDICAL PROCEDURES THAT REQUIRE THE VOLUNTEER TO STAY WITH THEM DURING THE PROCEDURE, SOMETIMES TAKING AS LONG AS 3-4 HOURS OF THEIR TIME.