Catholic Charities Tioga Outreach Center is part of a group of emergency assistance service providers called “The Partners” who share ideas with each other to help people better. Other members are Tioga County Rural Ministry, Tioga County Social Services, the Open Door Mission and Salvation Army.
Tioga County Rural Ministry had a good idea that Catholic Charities is now also going to use in their emergency financial assistance program: a “Pay it Forward” community assistance program.
All that Catholic Charities has, as an agency, comes from donations from the general public, from churches, from some small grants and from fundraising. When they distribute funds to assist with gas, electric, heat, security deposit, prescriptions and transportation, they don’t ask for any money back because they know how hard it is to pay back in a monetary way. With this program, they are asking people to “pay back” by selecting one of the following: community service in their church or community.
Some examples of community service include helping out at a food pantry, raking leaves, shoveling snow or washing windows for your neighbor or for an elderly person or volunteering at an event with Catholic Charities or their church events.
In this way, people who need help also have a way to help others, and that is empowering and neighborly.
