Interfaith Outreach Kicks Off Curbside Services
Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners continues to operate remotely. The Plymouth-based nonprofit has opened up several services that offer in-person contact. These services provide clients with information and resources as well as help with Interfaith-related documents.
“Essentially what we’re trying to do is create an environment where people feel safe coming to interact with us, so we’ve moved our lobby outside for the summer,” said Greg Hilding, executive director of Interfaith Outreach. “We’ve got things all set up with our work stations and people available, ambassadors and greeters. Our services our available right here curbside.”
Interfaith Outreach essentially moved its lobby services outside in late May.
Curbside times for Interfaith services are as follows:
- Monday, 12-6 p.m.
- Wednesday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Face masks are required.
Beginning June 1, the Interfaith drive-up food shelf is open during the following times:
- Monday, 3-6 p.m.
- Wednesday, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
- Friday, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Food shelf clients should pull up to the building and stay in their car. The food shelf team will greet them and request basic family information, then bring prepacked bags of groceries and additional items to their cars.
Hilding says Interfaith Outreach has had an outpouring of support from people wanting to help those in need.
“It’s really the community that’s stepping up,” Hilding said. “The heart, the will, the resources of the community come to us, so that we can respond to the needs of the community which we consider a privilege on our part in terms of how we can interact with the community. We want to be responsive, resilient and ready in these times of dramatic change and increasing need.”
Interfaith Outreach’s Goal: “Stabilize, Strengthen and Thrive”
For people going through a crisis, Interfaith Outreach checks a lot of boxes and can help in many ways. Interfaith is trying to step up even more during the pandemic.
“We definitely do, we kind of talk about this spectrum, of stabilize, strengthen and thrive.” Hilding said. “We try to help people and families stabilize their situation, then strengthen their situation and go on to all the way to helping them thrive.”
In the past four decades, Interfaith has been a beacon of light for individuals or families going through tough times. But the nonprofit says the impact of COVID-19 has been overwhelming.
“I think it’s very significant,” Hilding said. “We have yet to really see how many changes this is going to make in our society. Everybody is talking that this is a game changer. It’s certainly not going to be measured in weeks or months. It’s going to be measured in terms of years to see the changing patterns of how people have been affected. The high unemployment rate is just one example of unprecedented times for certainly decades.”
Interfaith serves families in eight western Hennepin County suburbs. The nonprofit began in 1979.
Are you a new client?
If you live in Hamel, Long Lake, Medina, Minnetonka Beach, Orono, Plymouth (west of 494) or Wayzata and want to begin accessing Interfaith services, send an email to: clientintake@iocp.org or call (763) 489-7500.
