The Sussex County Community Outreach Program helps families and individuals overcome obstacles in order for them to become self-sufficient. Established in 1988 by St. Peters Episcopal Church in Lewes, the program has assisted individuals and families in Sussex County, regardless of race, sexual orientation or religious affiliation.
Program participants
To locate those in need, the program seeks referrals from social workers and nurses at local schools, the Sussex Consortium, State Service Centers, the Lewes-Rehoboth Association of Churches’ “Lend a Hand Program,” as well as from inquiries or referrals to the St. Peter’s church office. Once the needs are clearly defined, program volunteers coordinate assistance from local shelters,food distributors, thrift shops, Lend a Hand, state service centers as well as individual service providers such as doctors, lawyers, dentists, electricians, day care providers, nurses, builders,realtors, and other like professionals.
Our volunteers
The program’s volunteers donate their time and talent, remaining connected to the individuals or families seeking help to make certain all one-time needs are met and until the end goal of self sufficiency is achieved. There are no administrative expenses or staff salaries for this outreach effort. All donations to the program are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Outreach story
We’ve all heard phrases like “the face of poverty”— phrases that are intended to remind us that there are real people, real lives, behind the statistics. We also know that our world’s current economic challenges have made life even harder for those living at or below the poverty line. But meeting those who’ve faced those challenges — meeting them face to face — forever alters our own response to what would otherwise be just another news story about a plant closing or a foreclosed home.
Since 1988, an all-volunteer committee of people from St. Peter’s Church in Lewes has been meeting the poor and the downtrodden face to face, helping them to overcome life’s obstacles to become more self-sufficient. Formally called the Sussex County Community Outreach Program, the committee helps individuals and families, regardless of race, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation, whenever life steps in with a seemingly insurmountable challenge — a challenge like a lost job, a totaled transmission, or a medical emergency.
Their “Adopt a Family” program is at the heart of this face-to-face effort, in which the Outreach Program provides longerterm, integrated assistance to families in need. This year, the committee worked with a mother who’d been left alone with her four children when her husband was incarcerated. Due to the challenging economy, Jane (name changed to protect her identity) lost her job — and then her car and then her home.
Life began a downward cascade when the family’s car engine blew up. Jane had been accepted in a job re-training program at Del Tech, and she desperately needed that car to get to her classes and her unpaid internship. The old car was not repairable, and no one would give her credit to buy another one. With no public transportation to the campus, this was a real crisis. What could she do? It looked like the only alternative was to drop out of the program – her one chance to significantly change her work prospects. Taking this course of action would pretty much guarantee a bleak future for the family.
Searching for help, Jane called St. Peter’s. After listening to her story, we knew that she was exactly the kind of person we wanted to assist. She was committed to her training, determined to work hard, and willing to make whatever sacrifices she needed to improve the lives of her children. We were on board!
A car that worked was the first priority, as it was the key to everything else. The committee helped search for a good deal and purchased a used car. Jane said, “I couldn’t believe it when they turned the car title over to me. It was the answer to my prayers.” With transportation now solved, Jane completed her training program and her unpaid internship.
The next challenge was finding paid employment. Although her internship office didn’t have a paid position at the time, she told the company that she would continue to do volunteer work with them…a decision that turned out to be very wise. Within a short time, a new position opened up, she was hired. She now has a full-time job, with health benefits for her family. Jane loves her job, is determined to continue her education, and has set a goal to move up in the company one day.
As the school year came to a close, the family was forced to move out of the temporary living situation they were in. Looking for something more permanent (to say nothing of affordable) during the summer months was truly daunting. They had nowhere to go and ended up in a motel room for over a month — five of them living in a single room with nothing more than a microwave and a crock pot to prepare all of their meals. In order to help the kids feel better, Jane told them this was a vacation for them, while she worried daily about what would happen next. That’s when we came on the scene again.
Everyone scoured the newspaper ads, visited trailer parks, and talked with potential landlords. Nothing affordable was turning up, and everyone wanted stellar credit before they would rent . . . not a promising scenario. Finally, through word of mouth, she found a house that she loved and could afford. We helped her negotiate the monthly rent and security deposit costs. Using our contacts in the church and in our neighborhoods, we obtained furniture and other needed items to help the family get settled. They moved in right after the July holiday, and love the house. As Jane said, “Just being able to close the door and cook a meal on the stove after so long is a real thrill.”
The other good news is that the house is in a location that allows the children to continue in the same schools they were attending previously, bringing them back to the normalcy they had lost when their living conditions changed so drastically. With this stability, Jane’s oldest child has been able to start an advanced placement program at Del Tech, while he completes middle and high school. Jane said, “I am determined that he will go on to college and break the cycle of poverty I grew up in.” This is the first step in that direction!
St. Peter’s obtained three scholarships to send Jane’s children to Camp Arrowhead for two weeks this summer – an experience the kids had never had before. While they were enjoying the swimming, boating, and their first real camp experience, Jane said, “I feel like I’m on my own personal retreat and vacation! It was the first time I didn’t
have to run home from work to cook and take care of the kids. It was funny to have it be so quiet. I’m so glad they’re having a good time, but I really miss them.”
The committee continues to provide partial support to Jane and her family as they move forward and become more financially secure. We stay in regular contact, talk about finances and budgeting, share information about available programs, and provide emotional support and encouragement.
Jane sums up the changes in her life: “I am a very different person than I was this time last year. I never knew that I could take care of myself and my kids, and that I could have a real future. Now I have a job I love, and I know I can support my family. I’m looking forward to when I can buy my own home. St. Peter’s Outreach volunteers have really made a big difference in my life. I hope I can help other people in my situation someday.”
We see this effort as a real contribution to self esteem and financial independence for families who have fallen onto hard times, and we look to expand this assistance in the coming year. Because the program’s volunteers donate their time and talent and there are no administrative expenses or staff salaries, every dollar donated to the Sussex County Community Outreach Program goes directly to assisting those in need and every donation is tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.