It is my church's turn to host the women-and-children group of CARITAS for the week. CARITAS is the largest provider of homeless services in the Metro Richmond area. Last year, 184 congregations and 18,560 volunteers gave over 100,000 hours of their time to provide 38,631 nights of shelter to over 1,000 guests through the CARITAS Shelter. I was one of the dozen Monday night dinner volunteers, including the young man with the oven mitts! We prepared and served a hearty meal for approximately 35 mothers and their children and then cleaned up. Three of our members came after dinner to teach beading and make jewelry. It was fun to work together and our guests were very appreciative. They will stay with us til Saturday morning and then move to another church. All during the cold months, churches all around Richmond are sharing their facilities, food and time with people less fortunate.
CARITAS is an inspiring program because along with supplying the immediate need of food and shelter, it trains its clients to gain employment and to save their money for permanent housing. It is much more than a band aid approach.
