The Interfaith Homeless Outreach Council (IHOC) will have their Annual Fundraiser in the Voorhees Town Center.  Programs will be from Friday, Feb. 23 through Sunday, Feb. 25 and the Walk will happen on Sunday. The fun activities, such as face and pet rocks painting, will start at 1:30pm on Sunday with the Walk kick off at 2:30pm. This is a major fundraiser for the IHOC and its efforts to aid the Camden County homeless population.  The IHOC goal for this Mall Walk is to raise $70,000.  To date, they have raised over $30,000.

The IHOC began as an informal coalition of eight local congregations in 1989. They met to review the lack of facilities and programs for the homeless in Camden County. Today, the IHOC is comprised of over 40 congregations from many faiths and cultures.

The Mall Walk is one of the major fundraisers for this group and, over the years, has been enjoyed by thousands of friends, sponsors and supporters. Wearing masks is optional.  You can register on the IHOC website, interfaithhomelessoutreachcouncilsj.org. If you are part of a team that wants to walk at the Town Center, your team may have unlimited members. However, your team will be divided into groups with a maximum of 10 participants. The walk is always scheduled for February because it is the middle of winter when more people are homeless and in the cold.

IHOC has provided shelter, meals, conversation, counseling, job placement and mentoring to more than 800 homeless people during the last 21 years. The IHOC flagship program annually takes in 12 homeless people and places them each for two weeks at a time with different congregations which provide meals, a warm secure place to sleep and fellowship. During the first 10 weeks, they gain valuable lessons by attending life skill classes on money management, job seeking and developing interpersonal relations, while also working at nonprofit organizations. Following the training, they begin an intensive job search. Once they obtain a job, the participants must deposit 80 percent of their salaries into an IHOC managed account to be held for them until they secure permanent housing. Throughout the entire program, they participate in intensive drug and alcohol counseling and are expected to attend a minimum of two Narcotics Anonymous and/or Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per week. In addition to these programs, the congregations also make a strong effort to engage the participants during their spare time to keep them active with various activities. The program is run completely by volunteers and lasts from October through May. Many of the participants become self-sufficient following the program.

In addition, the IHOC has supplied thousands of homeless men, women and children with school supplies and personal care items as part of the Adopt-A-Box and Pack-A-Snack campaigns. The IHOC philosophy is simply “quality over quantity.”

The Voorhees Township Committee and I are proud to support the mission of the Interfaith Homeless Outreach Council. For more information, visit interfaithhomelessoutreachcouncilsj.org.

Please consider supprting this wonderful cause.

 

** The Animal Welfare Association is now offering day camps from 9am-3pm on holidays and school breaks for children ages 7-14. The dates are Feb. 19, March 29, April 1, 2, 3.  They will play educational games, make animal-related crafts, hear from special guests, peek behind the scenes of AWA and hang out with animals.  Register: https://give.awanj.org/kidsdayoffcamp2024

For more information, contact education@awanj.com or call 856-424-2288 x219

** The Animal Welfare Association is offering Wags & Wiggles grown-up-and-me style class for children ages 2-4 on Feb. 27 and March 26.  This program will teach all little animal lovers about animal safety, kindness and compassion.  Each class will last 45 minutes and includes instructor-led story time, a craft and developmentally age-appropriate activities focused around animals.   Register: https://give.awanj./wagswiggles2024

For more information, contact education@awanj.com or call 856-424-2288 x219

** The Voorhees Breakfast Rotary Club is hosting its Trivia Night on March 9 at the Gibbsboro Fire Hall on 131 Hilliard Road. The cost is $60.00 per person. For more information, contact Roger Leonard raljr@log-insurance.com 856-627-2600 x427