YWCA Family Center

Welcome to the newest addition to the Trinity Blog. This segment, published monthly on Wednesdays, will focus on Trinity’s missions.

My name is Stephanie Host, and I have had the honor of being a part of a few missions, though I look forward to exploring more for the benefit of everyone in the Trinity family. Our hope is to give you a better idea of the missions Trinity Church partners with, and how we as members of the Body of Christ can offer our time, talents and treasure for the transformation of our community, and the world.

This month, we’ll be sharing about the YWCA Family Center. Located here in Columbus, the Family Center is one of very few temporary residential programs across the country that takes in entire families in need.* It assists residents in job training, job searching, childcare, and applying for benefits. The program limits residence to one month in the Center, unless there are mitigating circumstances. This means that there is an incredibly strong focus on working with residents to gain independence and recover from problem situations.

Carrie Glaeden, the mission shepherd for YWCA**, shared her thoughts on how this mission is rewarding to a volunteer: ”What I find most rewarding is the genuine thanks that the residents express to those who serve at the Center and the opportunity to hear from them about their experiences at the Family Center and hear about their excitement when it is their last meal at the Family Center because they have found permanent housing,” she said. I have also constantly been impressed with the resident’s heartfelt thanks for both the meal and our time. The parents are grateful and the children constantly bring a smile to my face. Additionally, the volunteer opportunity allows you to bond with other Trinity members while giving back to the community. I have made more than one friend while spooning taco meat into bowls!

The Family Center is in need of our time. Trinity serves dinner to the families of the center on the fourth Wednesday of each month as well as a Sunday night every other month. Please see the Trinity Missions Calendar for upcoming YWCA dates.  Wednesday evenings are coordinated by shepherd Carried Glaeden and Sunday evenings are coordinated by shepherd Nathan Wymer. Wednesday night volunteer sign-ups are made through Perfect Potluck; coordinator last name is Glaeden (as in Carrie Glaeden, the mission shepherd), and the password is Trinity. This website allows you to volunteer for the transportation, preparation, serving, or donation of food. Prior to the day you volunteer, you will receive an email with more directions including proper attire and details on the volunteer process. Please take note, no one under 15 is allowed in the kitchen per OSHA regulations.

The Family Center is also in need of our treasure. Volunteers drop off food donations to Trinity Church in the Chapelside Parlor by 3 PM on the Wednesday of the dinner hosting. The food is then transported by volunteers to the Center no later than 5 PM. There are several volunteer ‘rotations’ available each time we serve at the Center: preparation, dinner service 1, dinner service 2, and cleanup. Meal preparation of the taco salads begins at 5 PM with cooking of ground beef, tearing lettuce into bite-sized pieces, preparing salad toppings, setting tables, and enjoying the company of other Trinity volunteers. Servers arrive at 6 PM as the preparation team leaves, and the first serving begins. Families are directed to tables by YWCA staff, and bowls of meat are delivered by our volunteers. We continue to refill toppings, meat, chips, and water pitchers as needed and offer bananas to families as a healthy dessert.  Around 6:30-6:45 PM, the first group of families cleans up and leaves. We reset and begin again at 7 PM with the second group of families. Normally, we are finished with serving and have the kitchen cleaned up and are out the door by 8 PM. The final opportunity is washing and putting away dishes, and requires a time commitment from about 6:30 -  8:15 PM.

And if you're interested in hosting your own dinner at the Family Center, they currently have available some extra dates for volunteer teams to prepare and serve dinner for the residents. These are: September 2 and 28; October 31 (servers only needed); November 4, 23, 29, and 30; December 23, 26, 29, 30, and 31.

“Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” – So says the book of Deutoronomy*** in scripture. I find this verse enlightening as I reflect on serving with the Family Center. We are asked by God to give to those less fortunate, but we gain tenfold in return for our service. Certainly, without dedicated volunteers like those in our Trinity team, the work of the Family Center would not be possible. We help to provide the necessary nourishment and support for countless families. But I ask, what do we as volunteers gain in return? You will understand when you see the smiles of the families, when you receive their gratitude, and when you run into your new Trinity friends on Sunday mornings at church. A friendship created through service – with both residents and fellow volunteers – is a friendship unlike many others. It is a friendship without expectation based purely on time spent helping others. I urge you to volunteer, not only for those in need, but also to find friendships you may not find anywhere else.

Questions or comments can be submitted through the blog comment section, or you can reach out to mission shepherds Carrie Glaeden and Nathan Wymer. Please consider joining the YWCA mission team. We are the hands and feet of Christ, let us serve as He would!

*Most shelters will take either men OR women and children. It’s difficult to find a safe space for the whole family.

** At Trinity, our Mission shepherds are the ‘leaders’, ‘guides’, and ‘contacts’ for each individual mission. They’re members of the congregation who make sure that essential ministry happens!

*** Deuteronomy 15:10, New International Version (NIV)