Outreach Inc, a national Christian ministry and media organization, has launched a national Neighbors Helping Neighbors movement to encourage people to demonstrate safe yet compassionate care for their neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thoughtful ideas and practical tools are now available to assist in caring for neighbors from a distance, with the hopes that thousands of households will become good neighbors across the country.
“As this pandemic continues to unfold we all find ourselves in challenging times, often marked by fear and uncertainty. However, we know we are in this together,” shares Jason Daye, vice president at Outreach Inc. “It is our hope that people across the country will rise up in safe and helpful ways to assist those nearest to them. We live in a world where rocking chairs on our front porches have been replaced by privacy fences around our backyards. Many people do not even know their neighbors’ names, let alone their needs. With the current situation and many restricted by stay-at-home orders, it seems now is the time for us to be good neighbors. There are likely people on your block or in your apartment building who have real needs, and now is the opportunity for us to reach out cautiously and compassionately, to truly ‘love your neighbor,’ even if it is from a distance.”
Outreach Inc has responded to these neighboring needs in the coronavirus crisis by launching the website HelpingYourNeighbors.com. Here you will find neighboring resources such as a guide with 16 practical ways to help a neighbor and handy door hangers on which individuals can write their name and contact information and place on their neighbors’ doors. Neighbors can then contact them to share needs or just have someone with whom they can talk during this time of isolation. Other resources include yard signs, to help one’s neighbors know you are ready to help, and the Dozen Door Challenge which invites households to connect with their 12 closest neighbors.
All tools and resources are either free or heavily discounted. Outreach Inc has subsidized the costs to make Neighbors Helping Neighbors affordable to every home, every faith community and every organization in an effort to see as many people as possible being good neighbors during these trying times. An individual or family can get 12 door hangers mailed to them for only $2.50, with free shipping, which enables them to safely contact their neighbors and offer their service and support.
“As an organization who has a heart for God and for people, we wanted to do our part to encourage people everywhere to look to the needs of others,” says Scott Evans, founder and CEO of Outreach Inc. “Imagine neighborhoods across the country where people are reaching out to care for their 12 closest neighbors. What a difference this can make in these very difficult times.”
Individuals, faith communities and other organizations can learn more about the nationwide initiative, Neighbors Helping Neighbors,and find tools and resources at outreach.com/neighboring and HelpingYourNeighbors.com.
Founded in 1996 with a mission to share God’s love and empower the Church to share the message of Jesus Christ, Outreach Inc provides outreach tools to 25,000 churches a year in the US and equips
over 100 million church leaders and Christians in every country of the world each year through their web properties, media and digital channels.
