Benevolent policy

[Mrs.Anteater]

I am part of our outreach committee, which has not been in good working condition for a long time. So. We are now thinking about a policy for how to deal with requests for money or other support. Several things have been mentioned: filling out forms, checking with that person s social worker, checking with the food bank, how often theyhave used it, just refering them to the food bank....
Just the thought of making a policy makes me cringe inside. Guidelines may be,but policy? Two years back, our council had made a policy that anybody panhandling in front of the church on a Sunday is to be told to come back during the week when the office is open, because it makes the church goers uncomfortable.
How do you handle requests in your church? How to you try to not be taken advantage off?
(Just to mention- our yearly budget for outreach is under $8000.)

 

[Jaebius]

I am part of our outreach committee, which has not been in good working condition for a long time. So. We are now thinking about a policy for how to deal with requests for money or other support. Several things have been mentioned: filling out forms, checking with that person s social worker, checking with the food bank, how often theyhave used it, just refering them to the food bank....
Just the thought of making a policy makes me cringe inside. Guidelines may be,but policy? Two years back, our council had made a policy that anybody panhandling in front of the church on a Sunday is to be told to come back during the week when the office is open, because it makes the church goers uncomfortable.
How do you handle requests in your church? How to you try to not be taken advantage off?
(Just to mention- our yearly budget for outreach is under $8000.)

We have a benevolent fund. People make requests to the Pastor and he decides if they will receive monies and - if so - how much.

 

[Waterfall]

Two years back, our council had made a policy that anybody panhandling in front of the church on a Sunday is to be told to come back during the week when the office is open, because it makes the church goers uncomfortable.

I found myself cringing when I read this.

 

[Seeler]

Aw Mrs.Anteater - you have a predicament -- how to reach those in need without asking embarrassing questions and doing a 'means test', while spreading limited resources as far as possible, and avoiding being taken advantage of.
If written about our church's local outreach many times. We do keep track of who comes and limit the number of times they receive grocery vouchers (although they are welcome to drop in for coffee and/or breakfast between their voucher days). The local store that accepts vouchers advises us of suspected misuse (a young man spent his first voucher on pop, chips and chocolate bars - we spoke to him the next time he came in and learned that he had been living outside with no way to prepare or store food but now he had a room and kitchen privileges)(another man used his voucher to buy a can of lobster which we suspect he may have sold for drug money - he hasn't been back).
Other than that we don't have a means test. We believe that those asking for help for basic needs probably need the help. Some coming for the first time are so apologetic and embarrassed - and most express gratitude.
Sometimes we suspect that people bend the rules a bit (a single person gets $20 -- a couple gets $30; and sometimes we discover later that the two single people have the same address - but who are we to question whether they are roommates or living common law or married but retain their own names).
We would rather error on the side of generosity than send someone away hungry.
And yes - we sometimes have to turn people away when we run out of money.
We direct people to the Food Bank, the Community Kitchen and other services.

 

[revjohn]

Benevolence leaves one open to experiencing the scandal of grace up close and personal.

It can be a difficult row to hoe.

I have had to address individuals who clearly had no problems taking advantage of the grace of others. A food bank I once worked with was forced into having to keep records of access after several individuals would contact area clergy seperately and end up selling surplusses to feed addictions.

I remember a call from a very panicked mother who had absolutely nothing in the house to feed her children. I went straight to the food bank and following the protocols in place loaded up my van and began to deliver the desperately needed food to the mother in question. I had to wait to unload the food because she was taking a delivery from the beer store.

The scandal of grace.

We give it because someone needs it not because someone has earned it.

And yet, we are rightly infuriated when the people we are trying to help demonstrate so obviously why they need help in the first place. Even if our resources to help were infinite I suspect we would still be incensed at a parent who asks us to provide her children with food because she has spent most of her income on feeding her addictions.

Our congregation empowers me with a benevolent fund they like to call the Minister's basket. Money sits in an account which I never touch directly. I may direct the treasurer to write a cheque. If it is for rent then it is made out to the landlord. If it is for other expenses we will do what we can to make the cheque out to the appropriate service provider. Is it fool-proof? No, it isn't. It does appear to require more effort to collude than what our typical cheques are written for.

I may provide cash if it is needed, I am reimbursed when I provide a receipt signed by whomever I have helped. Unless it is a fairly significant sum I usually don't bother getting a receipt or filing a claim to recover those expenses.

Policies do not govern our benevolence, or they should not be seen to.

Policies at best, are a matter of stewarding resources. When those resources are limited stewardship means that all who ask at least get something. Giving people in need less than what they really need hurts everyone in a different way than does having to decline to help because there is nothing to offer at all.

Apathy is always an easier path than caring.

 

[Mrs.Anteater]

I found myself cringing when I read this.

Waterfall, me too. One reason to stay on the committeee was to make sure this policy gets deleted. Unfortunately, even the one person who had agreed with me in the past doesn't care anymore, because we are worshipping in a church now whih is so far off that nobody will find their way there for panhandling on Sundays. So, it's a non-issue- but for me, the pure existance of this policy is a big issue and a shame. I have thought about leaving this place many times since then- but as long as I don't have anything to replace it, I am hanging in.

 

[Mrs.Anteater]

Seeler, I agree with you. I do think that most people are embarrassed to ask for help. At the same time, what do we consider "abuse"? Who would not take a bit extra, just to make sure it will last longer. I would hope there would be a way of getting to know people, and peoplewho are overusing the "system" would likely stand out at some point.
How did you know what the people bought with their voucher? Does the store report back to you?
yes, the arguement that people don't buy healthy or even the basics did come up in our discussion, too.
Should foodbanks always go together with free cooking and budgeting courses?

 

[Mrs.Anteater]

Rev John,
"The scandal of grace"- I like that. I wonder why somehow, we seem to think that poor people are to be better people. I am not sure what I would be like if I had to go through a life harder than what i had so far. I don't even know, if that gap in our society could be bridged. What are congregations doing? How much of their work is giving out goods for immediate emergencies and how much is put into trying to change a person's life or the society/ living conditions? Aren't most congregations stuck in giving out Christmas hampers, but don't really know about the circumstances that need changing?

 

[Seeler]

Seeler, I agree with you. I do think that most people are embarrassed to ask for help. At the same time, what do we consider "abuse"? Who would not take a bit extra, just to make sure it will last longer. I would hope there would be a way of getting to know people, and peoplewho are overusing the "system" would likely stand out at some point.
How did you know what the people bought with their voucher? Does the store report back to you?
yes, the arguement that people don't buy healthy or even the basics did come up in our discussion, too.
Should foodbanks always go together with free cooking and budgeting courses?

We have an excellent working relationship with this store. No, they do not report back on a regular basis - just someone who stands out like the two examples above.
They do ask for ID - a safe guard to prevent people from selling their voucher for money for drugs.
We encourage people to buy fresh products - especially meat and vegetables - and the store employees go out of their way to help our clients get the most for their money. But they can also use a portion of their voucher to buy treats (ie their voucher is for $20 and they've picked up $18 in meat and vegies, they can get a chocolate bar or chips.
People like the freedom to make their own choices. To one person a can of chicken-haddie and some potatoes will make enough fish cakes for a couple of days, along with coleslaw on the side. And maybe they also buy a bottle of ketchup. Another person couldn't be persuaded to eat fish of any kind.

 

[ChemGal]

@Seeler is there a reason for encouraging fresh? When it comes to veggies, and even sometimes fruit, esp in the winter we often buy frozen and canned veggies. We don't do it because it's cheaper most of the time, although it often is. We tend to do it for convenience, both prep and keeping things on hand. People with financial trouble are also often pinched for time, and there are also other factors. I can't imagine working with fresh beets and not getting some on what I'm wearing - usually I'm good with not splashing canned. It also tends to involve less utensils, if someone has a kitchen they likely have a can opener. They might not have 2 cutting boards, so if one is used for meat they don't need to sanitize it before cutting up veggies too. For quite a while I don't think I had a pot big enough for corn, and we didn't BBQ it until we got a full size BBQ. We ate the bagged frozen stuff.

 

[Seeler]

Chemgal - several reasons - canned goods are often available at foodbanks - they can be bought cheaper at places like Giant Tiger and Dollarama than at the independent grocery/butcher we have arrangements with (or the other hand this store is known for the price and quality of its fresh foods), and for people living on a tight budget fresh foods taste good -- imagine if you've been eating mushy vegies out of cans, the pleasure of biting into a stock of celery or a carrot stick and giving your kid an apple.
Not all our clients live on the streets or in single rooms - many live in sub-standard, over-priced apartments and some of the more fortunate ones have subsidized housing - and some may even own their own homes. Imagine having a big cabbage. The outer leaves make cabbage rolls (or are shredded for cabbage casserole). A wedge is eaten raw, or steamed in a little water as a side for pork chops or sausages and potatoes. Another wedge is shredded along with a carrot and mixed with a bit of salad dressing (or vinegar) for coleslaw. And anything left is for the soup pot.
But this is part of our reason for giving choices - take your voucher to the store and buy what your family will eat.

 

[Waterfall]

I agree Seeler, choices give people a sense of empowerment to make decisions for themselves, rather than being treated as children while they go through hard times.

 

[ChemGal]

Thanks Seeler, that makes sense. Most of our fresh stuff comes from certain grocery stores - the smaller ones, Safeway, Coop, Sobeys, SaveOn. The canned & frozen stuff Walmart & Superstore.

 

[qwerty]

When I was studying for my MBA[FONT=Open Sans, sans-serif] I participated in an exercise designed to demonstrate what happens when an individual or committee is appointed to parcel out scarce resources in manner which maximizes efficiency. Several groups of 5 or 6 were charged with building a bridge spanning the space between two desks. The builders of the bridge which supported the heaviest load over a one minute period without collapsing would win a prize. One group (my group as it turned out) was given the responsibility of distributing the materials (tape cardboard, paper, paper clips) to the other groups to maximize the number of successful bridges built. We were empowered to give materials to groups if we thought plans good, workable and promising or to withhold materials from groups whose plans seemed dodgey or unworkable. Although, in the end, a few successful bridges were built, none of the groups felt that we had helped them and that their task had been more difficult as a result of our "efficiency efforts". It was agreed that we had generally acted (as it was revealed that all such committees do) with choking off resources and hindering efforts to build successful bridges. Another set of groups operating in another room were given the same stock of materials without the benefit of an "efficiency committee" to make sure that assets were not wasted. They just went and took what they needed. This groups produced many more successful bridges and no shortage of materials ever became apparent (or for that matter ever existed at all as there were plenty of materials left over).

I mention this demonstration because I think there are parallels in the "outreach" context where perhaps it is more important to be generous than it is to be efficient.

 

[Mrs.Anteater]

Thanks Querty, that is a great example. We might be overthinking this.

 

[Seeler]

The parallel is obvious Qwerty.

 

[Pinga]

Funny Qwerty. I once started the "grocery shelf" in the hallway leading out of the building. It was a simple idea. Put common items such as peanut butter, canned food, cereal on the shelf. People could easily pick up items on the way out without being noticed. People could add. Simple idea. (I knew that there were folks struggling at the time due to lossed jobs and high mortgages, as well as some poor seniors). It went for a bit, but there definitely was a push back on it. I wish that I had your story then.

 

[Seeler]

I've often thought that churches should have a 'drop off; pick up' area where people could drop off non-perishable food items, school supplies, and gently used clothing and people could pick up what they wanted either for themselves or someone they knew. No questions asked.

 

[Mendalla]

I've often thought that churches should have a 'drop off; pick up' area where people could drop off non-perishable food items, school supplies, and gently used clothing and people could pick up what they wanted either for themselves or someone they knew. No questions asked.

We've kind of done that in the past. Not sure if it is still there or not. It's back in the Sunday School area and I don't go back there much.

 

[Jaebius]

I've often thought that churches should have a 'drop off; pick up' area where people could drop off non-perishable food items, school supplies, and gently used clothing and people could pick up what they wanted either for themselves or someone they knew. No questions asked.

We have at my church a large window ledge in the basement where people can do exactly that. It has worked out really well.