Why Volunteer?
Many people are surprised that such incredible need exists in Grove City.
On the surface, Grove City is a quaint rural college town, with happy people and low crime. In reality, many people in Grove City struggle with unemployment, drug-addiction, and even homelessness.
Much of the time these struggles are hidden very well. For example, homelessness in Grove City does not generally take the form most commonly seen in cities; the lone man with a shopping cart. Instead, homelessness in Grove City often takes the form of someone living in a car or moving from couch to couch. It may be surprising to learn that 17% of the clients that Christian Assistances Network (CAN) helped out in 2010 described themselves as homeless. Obviously, it is a much more prevalent problem in Grove City than most people realize.
Unemployment has also become a pressing issue in Grove City in recent years. Jobs besides those associated with the college in Grove City are generally blue-collar manufacturing jobs and since the recession in 2009 manufacturing jobs in Grove City have been lost in droves. Many people have moved back into their family homes and put increasing pressure on ever smaller incomes. With rising prices, this has led to even more need in the Grove City community, a need that often goes unacknowledged.
CAN need your help:
You can help solve these problems. Jesus calls us to witness to the nation and we are to start in our hometown. Jesus’ ministry was a ministry of service. He met people where they were and healed their diseases. You can be the hands and feet of Jesus. CAN needs you and the people in the Grove City area need you.
Grove City, being a small community, is conducive to local involvement and interest. A plethora of churches in the area have already pledged their allegiance to CAN as a worthy cause. It is a great strength of the organization that we have strong positive support within the area that we are trying to provide aid to. We have relatively consistent source of funds available from the grants we apply for and this financial stability allows us to provide aid more effectively than if it were otherwise.
The similarity that the members all have due to their shared faith allows for direction and harmony within CAN’s operation to work toward the information of peoples lives in Jesus. The shared goal and mission allows for an effective pursuit of goals and problem solving. CAN is very solid in their mission and knowledge of what they are able to provide to their community.
Volunteers at CAN will be able to directly help the community of Grove City. CAN also strives to be lean as possible. This means that when a problem or disaster occurs in the Grove City Area CAN is one of the first organizations on the scene to help.
CAN needs more volunteers and you can be a part of that. Recently, CAN has been involved in the task of clearing out a flooded basement, which would have taken the resident an entire evening or possibly longer to do on their own. The task was reduced to a few hours work when some of the members of a housing group on campus at Grove City College offered to help out. These situations are exactly how you can be a real and immediate help to those in your community.
Apply to volunteer for CAN today.