Outreach - Local - Interfaith Hospitality Network - Main Line
IHN Host Weeks
Sunday, June 6 - Sunday June 13
Sunday, August 29 - Sunday, September 5
If you would like to volunteer to help during the upcoming host week, you can sign up on the sheet located in the church office or contact Kathy Marcantonio at 610.688.7947 ext. 224. See the descriptions of volunteer opportunities below or, for more information about IHN, contact George Vosburgh, gbvosburgh@aol.com or Cindy McCallum, jeffmccallum@comcast.net.
The Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Main Line provides a caring and positive environment for homeless families and their children while they design and implement a plan to break the cycle of homelessness in their lives. Using the energy of over 2,500 community volunteers we are dedicated to families who seek to be accountable, resilient, and strive for a better tomorrow for their families.
The Network invites three to four families, up to 14 people, to be guests of the Network for 45 to 90 days. During the day, families are based at the IHN Day Center in Norristown where they are offered one-to-one counseling and mentoring in such areas as education (GED or college), budgeting, employment, housing search and parenting skills, to name a few.
Each evening an IHN van takes families to the Host Congregation where volunteers await with home-cooked meals and a compassionate heart. Volunteers from the Host Congregation stay overnight with the families and provide activities for the children and a kind ear for the parents. Each Sunday the families move to another host congregation for the coming week.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Sunday Set-Up (10:30 - 11:30 a.m.) several volunteers set up aerobeds, set out bedding, make sure supplies are in place and bedrooms are set up.
Dinner (5:00 – 7:00 p.m.) at least two volunteers greet the guests who arrive around 5, provide dinner, prepare it at the church kitchen with the guests helping, stay and eat dinner with the guests, organize kitchen cleanup (guests help).
Evening (6:30 – 9:00 p.m.) at least two volunteers play with the children, visit with the moms, help children with homework, and generally make the guests feel at home.
Overnight (8:30 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. Sun-Thu; 9:00 p.m. - 8:30 a.m. Fri-Sat) one man and one woman stay overnight, visit with families if they are still up, are available if needed, organize breakfast if desired. The van arrives at 6:45 AM and the guests are off for their day based at the IHN Center in Norristown by 7 AM.
Sunday Breakdown and Transport (10:30 - 11:30 a.m.) several volunteers put away the aerobeds, supplies, and bag used laundry (for pick-up by other volunteers).
Laundry
Three volunteers pick up 2 to 3 bags each of used laundry. Clean laundry whould be returned to the IHN storage closet at church.
Volunteers Reflections December 2007
The other IHN – ML Host Congregations:
Beth David Synagogue, Gladwyne
Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church
Central Baptist Church, Wayne
Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr
Main Line Unitarian Church, Wayne
Our Mother of Good Counsel, Bryn Mawr
Paoli Presbyterian Church, Paoli
St. John Neumann Church, Bryn Mawr
St. Katherine of Sienna, Wayne
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Ardmore
St. Thomas of Villanova Church
Wayne Presbyterian Church, Wayne
IHN – Main Line: www.ihncares.org