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Barry Wehrle
Missions and Social Concerns
Our goal is to reach the victims in our community who are under oppression from people, addiction, or systemic systems. We work every day to help people build better lives.
OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE
SafeLot Loveland
SafeLot
Loveland SafeLot Parking opened in November of 2023. Each Loveland SafeLot Parking (LSP) site provides designated parking spaces between 6pm to 8am each day in order to offer a safe space to those who shelter in their cars. Together in partnership with House of Neighborly Services (HNS), they provide Resource Navigation to help individuals through this difficult time with the goal of transitioning guests to more permanent housing.
To volunteer and for more information, click here to be taken to their website.
Circle of Life
Circle of Life
Volunteers Offer Real Help for Hurting Children, is a program that offers counseling, education, and support for those who do not have financial resources or reasonable access to help after experiencing loss, such as death, divorce, incarceration of a parent, etc. In addition to adult grief/loss classes, Bev trains competent and dedicated volunteers to teach classes for children who are experiencing such loss. Our volunteers range in age from 15 to adult. We meet monthly for continued training and support. Research shows that early intervention after a loss can help prevent a host of issues, such as complicated grief, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety, suicide, addiction, developmental disruption, etc., that can develop in people (particularly children) who receive no help after a loss. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to provide loving support for those who need it most.
Contact: Mary Camp at 970-203-4688
Resource Library
Community Kitchen
Community Kitchen
Serves dinner daily and breakfast weekdays for homeless and low income families
FUMC members volunteer to serve dinners the third Thursday and Friday of each month
For more info, contact: Anita Williams, 970-689-0019
Food Bank for Larimer County
Food Bank
The Food Bank has three facilities, two Food Shares located one each in Loveland and Fort Collins where clients go to pick up their food, and a warehouse located just east of the airport. Each location has plenty of opportunities to volunteer, be it bagging produce, sorting bread, delivering food to clients or even preparing meals in the kitchen in the warehouse. Volunteer shifts usually last about two and a half hours. To volunteer for or donate to the Food Bank, visit their website at foodbanklarimer.org. Many members of our congregation are already regulars and occasionally a group from the church will volunteer. If you have an interest in volunteering with a group, send an email to the Missions Committee at missionsnews@fumcloveland.com.
Habitat For Humanity
Habitat For Humanity
Volunteers from FUMC have been helping to build houses for deserving families since 1987. Recipients must be income qualified to receive a zero interest loan which is paid back over time based on their ability to pay. In addition, they must provide “sweat equity” in the form of 250+ hours of work on Habitat’s job sites. For more information, visit Habitat for Humanity.
Join the FUMC Habitat for Humanity Faith Build Team
There are normally at least two opportunities a year to volunteer with our FUMC team. No experience is necessary. We’d love to have you join us.
To check dates and sign up, click here.
Kids Pack
Kids Pack
KidsPak provides bags containing more than 10 food items for the weekend to food insecure students in the Thompson School District on a weekly basis. On average, more than 500 bags of food are distributed to students each week. Volunteers pack bags two or three times a month. To volunteer for or donate to KidsPak, visit their website at kidspak.org. If you would be interested in volunteering as a group one Sunday morning packing bags for KidsPak, send an email to the Missions Committee at missionsnews@fumcloveland.com.
Mobile Laundry Truck
Mobile Laundry Truck
The Mobile Laundry Truck cleans clothes for Low-income families and People experiencing homelessness.
Volunteer to help at the mobile laundry truck. Greet clients, tag clothing bags, fold clean clothes, and return clean laundry to the clients.
Where:
-Loveland Public Library on Thursdays and Fridays
When:
Morning and afternoon shifts are available both days
Duties:
-Greet guests and collect their information on log sheets
-Help guests to bag and weigh their laundry
-Place bags on truck ramp
-Fold clean clothes and place them in plastic bags
-Contact guests to pick up their clean laundry
Note:
-Lifting of not more than 10 lbs. is required
-The work is outdoors
-Standing most of the shift is required, though there are opportunities to sit
-This job is appropriate for teens, if accompanied by an adult
-The Mobile Laundry Truck will not operate on days when the forecast high is less than 32 degrees
How to Sign-up
Contact Rev. Woody Carlson at Laundry@HomewardAlliance.org or call Homeward Alliance at (970) 460-6451 to sign-up for a shift.
or Sign-up online at https://homewardalliance.galaxydigital.com/need/
or Contact Tom Thompson at revtgt@hotmail.com or 801-518-5392
Pura Vida
Pura Vida
UMC has been traveling to Guatemala to help build homes for deserving families since 2016. These trips are normally in February. They are run under the auspices of Pura Vida.
Pura Vida’s primary focus is education. Many Guatemalan children must drop out school to help out at home. Through Pura Vida, you can sponsor a student through high school and possibly beyond. There are FUMC members that are currently sponsoring children through this program.
To learn more about the construction mission trips, visit the Pura Vida website http://puravida.org to find out about construction trips and/or student sponsorship.
Angel Tree
Angel Tree
Each year just before Christmas, members of our congregation choose from about 40 cards, each containing the name of a child, their age and gender, and their Christmas wish list. These are children with an incarcerated parent. Our congregation’s mission is to make those children’s Christmas brighter by purchasing, wrapping, returning and delivering gifts to each of them. To find out more about the program, contact Pam Erikson or Terry Gindlesparger, long time volunteers here at FUMC coordinating with the Prison Fellowship organization to make this happen.
Christmas Food Baskets
Christmas Food Baskets
It has been an annual tradition to deliver baskets to those residents at the Harvest Pointe low income apartments who request one. A couple of church families also receive a basket. Most recently, the baskets have contained 3 Christmas trees made from plaid fabric and a King Soopers gift card for $100. The program has been funded through the Kings Soopers Community Rewards Program. You can find out more about signing up for the rewards program on the Give & Support tab.