Safe Families is a worldwide organization dedicated to surrounding families in crisis with caring, compassionate community. There are several levels of care involved, from hosting a child in your home, to helping a family in crisis with daily life activities, to simply providing a listening ear to those who are hurting. If your Life Group wants to support a family, or if you feel called to host one of these little ones in your home, Safe Families could use your help.

World Relief comes alongside refugees and other immigrants in vulnerable situations as they rebuild their lives in the United States. Churches reach out to refugee individuals or families to help them get accustomed to American life – everything from how to buy groceries to how to get a driver’s license. Today, World Relief Fox Valley is part of a national network of offices through which over 400,000 immigrants and refugees have been welcomed into this country.

Pillars is a collective of services for the homeless population in Appleton, providing shelter, meals and resources. From living on the streets to stable housing, Pillars provides services, coaching and support to help people along this journey. Their vision is “To lead our community in finding innovative, effective solutions so experiences of homelessness are rare and brief and everyone has a place to call home.”

Loaves and Fishes is a local food ministry that offers evening meals to those in need in our neighborhood. They are a nondenominational Christian outreach that takes the biblical mandate to “feed the hungry” seriously.

LEAVEN provides limited financial assistance to people who are struggling to meet their basic needs and have nowhere else to turn for help. In addition, they provide a warm handoff to connect people to other resources and through referrals to the greater community. They provide advocacy and service coordination to address the household’s immediate need and help achieve self-sufficiency through assistance with rent, utilities, health insurance premiums, car repairs and other basic necessities.

Harbor House supports victims of domestic abuse by providing basic safety (shelter, economic support) and long-term solutions (support groups, counseling, legal consultation). Their location in Appleton offers a 68-bed shelter, a hotline for planning and support, and staff trained in domestic abuse recovery and response.

Young Life Rawhide provides spiritual support for youth going through the Rawhide program. Youth can volunteer to partake in weekly Young Life Club gatherings or monthly Young Life community activities to ask questions about God and build authentic relationships with staff who meet them exactly where they’re at in life.

This residential drug and alcohol addiction program helps people find freedom from chemical dependence in Christ. Started by David Wilkerson (The Cross and the Switchblade) in New York in the sixties, ACT now has a global reach and an amazing success rate for helping people get sober and stay that way.

COTS, Inc. is a non-profit organization helping individuals experiencing homelessness in the Fox Cities. COTS provides transitional shelter to individuals in Outagamie, Winnebago and Calumet counties. They treat all people with dignity and respect. Their goal is to end homelessness by enabling individuals to transition to self-sufficiency and stable, independent living.