Volunteer Spotlight

I first learned of In2Action through the Sunday bulletin at The Crossing in the spring of 2017.  In2Action  was advertising a 5K and ½ marathon trail run in Columbia.  I hadn’t run much recently, and liked supporting charity events, so I signed up.  The race was fun and I didn’t think much more about In2Action until a few months later at a men’s conference at church.  

In September The Crossing hosted a men’s conference and I decided to go. During the conference Dan spoke about the mission of In2Action, how it was started, and shared a poignant video of a house member which really spoke to my heart.  I remembered Dan from the 5k race and spoke with him in the lobby during one of the conference breaks.  I felt this organization was where God wanted me to be and contacted Dan about a week or so later. 

Dan and I met in his office and he outlined the areas where volunteers were needed most and provided more details of the In2Action mission and the house structure.  I was surprised at the scope of the organization and number of people working to make this a success.  I decided to work as a food pantry and food stamp assistance volunteer.  This job consists of taking the fellas to the Food Pantry every other Friday, getting them enrolled if needed, and picking up bulk food items from the Food Bank on the alternating Fridays.  I also assist new house members with filling out food stamp applications and taking them to the food stamp office to get enrolled.   

I’ve learned a lot about the challenges of men who are trying to reintegrate into society.  Unfortunately, our social system lacks the safety net needed to minimize a relapse back prison.  I see the impact In2Action is having with a structured Christ-based approach to daily living and problem solving.  I want people in our community to know In2Action works hard to help these gentlemen be successful in everyday life.