VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers​ are the heart of the Affiliate; without them, it cannot exist. Volunteers provide a variety of services: cooking and serving meals, playing with children or helping them with homework, and staying overnight.
Beyond providing lodging and meals, volunteers interact with the guests, treating them with respect and responding with compassion.
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BASIC ELEMENTS of the PROGRAM
VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers are the heart of the Affiliate; without them, it cannot exist. Volunteers provide a variety of services: cooking and serving meals, playing with children or helping them with homework, and staying overnight. Beyond providing lodging and meals, volunteers interact with guests, treating them with respect and responding with compassion.
Thank you, Family Promise volunteers. We appreciate your kind hearts. You have showed me a wonderful time and also helped me believe that there is a God above. We love you and God bless.
- Kathy, Harrisburg, PA
Family Promise lives up to everything that it implies – protection, security, nurturing, care. Truly, this is one promise that was fulfilled in spades for me and my family.
- Theresa, Pittsburgh, PA
HOST CONGREGATIONS
​About four to five times a year – for one week at a time – Host congregations provide overnight lodging, meals (supper, breakfast, and brown-bag lunch), and hospitality. Hosting rotates among the eleven to thirteen Host congregations in the Affiliate, which provide lodging for three to five families (up to fourteen individuals) from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the next morning.
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DAY CENTER
​Guests use a local day center, space at a congregation or agency, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to shower, care for pre-school children, and seek employment. Many guests are employed during the day and go to work. During the school year, children go to school. The day center provides guests with a mailing address and a home base from which to conduct their housing search. The Director’s office will be at the day center.
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SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES
Local ​social service agencies refer families to the Affiliate. The agencies may also help guests find housing, jobs, and other services. Since Family Promise is primarily comprised of volunteers, the social service agencies help assess potential guest families for active substance abuse, domestic violence or psychiatric problems.
TRANSPORATION
A program​ van transports guests to and from the day center. The van also carries bedding and luggage to the next Host Congregation.