With the passage of Proposal 3 last fall, it is important that the Church build a culture of life. The intention of Walking with Moms in Need is to increase the Church’s outreach to pregnant and parenting women facing difficulties. In the Action Guide, developed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (www.USCCB.org), the first step was to complete a Family Inventory Tool. The Inventory Tool provides a framework and structure to help our Family of parishes think about the various resources that a mother in need may find helpful. The needs of pregnant and parenting moms can be overwhelming, and the sources to help may not be apparent to those most needing support. The Core Team has developed a resource guide which provides access to referral agencies to help pregnant moms and families in need. At our May 25th meeting, we discussed some areas that volunteers could help with:
- Mentoring Moms
- Assist with phone calls from pregnant moms or families in need.
- Assist with applications for needed services, i.e., Medicaid, Food Stamps, etc.
- Donation of a meal to a mom/family that has just had a new baby.
- Transportation to medical appointments
In future articles on Walking with Moms in Need, we will outline each of the volunteer tasks. By receiving phone calls, you will also be able to be “a listening ear” to someone who may be scared, confused, or thinking of an abortion. You can share God’s love for them.
Assist with applications for needed services, i.e. Medicaid, food stamps, etc.
Have you ever entered the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services? It is a large building with numerous chairs and a line to enter to receive services. The paperwork is a multi-page document asking for everything under the sun. You do not know where to begin. Wouldn’t it be nice for a mom to have a person to call to help fill out these documents and ease her confusion? This also is an opportunity to share God’s love to this Mom. Please consider helping out in this manner. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Laura Scanlan at laura.scanlan@stjohnxxiiiredord.org.