Volunteers In Service Vis

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

COVID CONTINUED TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY VOLUNTEERS THROUGH VOLUNTEERS IN SERVICE IN 2021. THINGS BEGAN TO PICK UP IN LATE SPRING AND WE STARTED GOING BACK INTO HOMES TO PROVIDE SERVICES. HOWEVER, AS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE BECAME INFECTED IN EARLY FALL, WE HAD TO AGAIN RESTRICT SOME OF THE IN-HOME SERVICES. OTHER SERVICES, SUCH AS FOOD PANTRY PICK-UP AND GROCERY SHOPPING FOR PEOPLE REMAINED STEADY. OVERALL, VOLUNTEERS IN SERVICE CONNECTED 1,171 CHURCH AND SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS WHO PUT IN 4,436 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE IN 2021. THIS IS FEWER VOLUNTEERS THAN 2020, BUT MORE HOURS. THIS MEANS WE ARE DOING MORE WITH FEWER VOLUNTEERS. THE BREAKDOWNS OF THESE NUMBERS ARE AS FOLLOWS: BENEVOLENCE VOLUNTEERS: 127 VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTED 269 HOURS TO PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY BY HELPING WITH THINGS LIKE FOOD PANTRY PICK-UP, GROCERY SHOPPING FOR AN INDIVIDUAL, FURNITURE PICK-UP AND DELIVERY, AND OTHER SPECIAL SERVICES. 63% OF THESE SERVICES HELPED PROVIDE FOOD FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE QUARANTINED DUE TO COVID, OR FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE AT HIGH RISK SHOULD THEY GET THE VIRUS. SERVICE PROJECT VOLUNTEERS: 828 CHURCH AND SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS PROVIDED 3,259 HOURS OF SERVICE COMPLETING SERVICE PROJECTS. 417 OF THESE VOLUNTEERS, PUT IN 1,421 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 SNOW SHOVELING. OF THESE SERVICE PROJECT VOLUNTEERS, 411 PEOPLE FROM CHURCH AND SCHOOL GROUPS GAVE 1,838 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 OR WHEELCHAIR RAMP. THIS IS ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS AS 2020, BUT IT'S A 35% INCREASE IN HOURS. 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 12 CHURCH VOLUNTEERS WHO PROVIDED 191 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 SOMEWHAT LOWER THAN IN 2020, BUT THE NUMBER OF HOURS IS CONSIDERABLY HIGHER. TRANSPORTATION VOLUNTEERS: TRANSPORTATION HAS BECOME A VITAL SERVICE TO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. 204 VOLUNTEERS PROVIDED 717 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 79% INCREASE IN VOLUNTEERS AND A 110% INCREASE IN VOLUNTEER HOURS FOR TRANSPORTATION FROM 2020. 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.