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Serving
others, growing, learning humility
Pastoral Pondering: Jesus will return to bring
us new and abundant life
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Giving until it hurts |
In spite of the donations sent to
the South this summer, philanthropists in Newberg continue to care
for their own |
By Schellene Clendenin, Newberg
Graphic reporter
E-mail Schellene at sclendenin@eaglenewspapers.com |
Churches do it. So do
businesses, schools and families. They do it locally, nationally and
internationally. It has cost innumerable amounts of money and time.
They do it for themselves and for others. They rarely ask for
anything in return.
“It” is donations of time and money to those who need them most.
Philanthropy in Newberg can be as large as a church gathering wood
or linens for the poor, or as small as grade school children
collecting their pennies to provide winter coats for kids.
And even with the flood of money funneled to agencies such as the
American Red Cross and Northwest Medical Teams this summer, local
organizations say giving at home has remained steady.
Polly Siler, Love INC (In the Name of Christ) coordinator, said the
community was drawn together to help the people in the South whose
lives were put on hold this summer after hurricanes Katrina, Rita
and Wilma. And yet locals have not forgotten to care for people
living in their own neighborhood.
Love INC is a clearinghouse for churches in Newberg. People are
invited to visit the nonprofit agency for help, and are sent to the
church or governing body best suited to offer services.
Siler said that while she has little to compare current
availability of donations and services — the program has only been
in existence since March 2004 — needs are being met.
“Over the past year and nine months I have seen our community reach
out to help our neighbors,” she said. “When Katrina struck, the
kindness shown from our community stretched further to help people
in need.”
Organizers at Newberg F.I.S.H. (Friends In Service to Humanity), a
local agency that provides food and funds to Newberg’s needy, agree.
They said that in spite of all the assistance offered to people in
the south, the community looks after its own.
So far, Love INC has files on as many as 650 families in Newberg,
Siler said. Families may be as small as a single person and as large
as a family of six. Of that number, at least 100 families visit Love
INC each month seeking help.
But Siler pointed out that as weather grows colder, some needs
become more urgent than others. “The wood ministry is booming,” she
said. And curtains and blankets are needed for families who may be
without heat or who need to conserve the heat they have.
“Everyone that comes in, we can help them with something,” she
said, adding that as a Christ-based program, volunteers at Love INC
are as likely to provide prayer as they are to offer a blanket.
Requests for help with weatherization are beginning to trickle in
as well, she said. Weatherization, the U.S. Department of Energy
says, is a way to reduce heating costs by making homes more energy
efficient.
It can include using plastic to cover windows. Siler is currently
seeking agencies or groups that will fill that need.
“We are fortunate to live in such a compassionate community,” she
said. “There will always be people in need. Our mission is to help
those in need in the name of Christ.”
For more information or to make a donation, call Love INC at
503-537-3999. |
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From
Dec. 3,
2005, Newberg Graphic
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