Friendly Visitor: Can you remember the last time you eagerly looked forward to a visit? Perhaps it was a family member or a wonderful friend. Whoever it was, do you remember how they brightened your day? Friendly Visitors is a remarkable in-home service that supports isolated seniors in the community. Volunteers call on those who are not able to get out much and provide an important window to the world in terms of companionship, stimulation and friendship. What do our Friendly Visitors do? Sometimes they look a photographs and keepsakes, sometimes they listen and share stories and memories. Mostly, they have chosen to be a friend to someone who would otherwise be lonely. It is amazing what a smiling face and a giving heart can do!

Brown Bagging: In conjunction with a partner organization and the Greater Boston Food Bank, 500 low income elders in Fall River receive a free bag of groceries monthly. Shepherd’s Center volunteers assist in filling bags with groceries that arrive at the site in bulk. Those who participate in the monthly program give hope to others as they bag and deliver groceries to those in need. Our volunteers tell us that feeding the hungry is only one part of the equation. The other part of the equation is how they themselves are fed. They have discovered the wonderful secret of volunteering -- you get as much as you give!

TNT (Time and Transportation): Do you like to drive? Do you have a few hours monthly that you could provide transportation to someone who can no longer drive? Time and Transportation volunteers are members of a team who participate in enabling seniors to get to stores, medical appointments and other community activities. The gift of “wheels” is so very much appreciated by elders who would otherwise be cut off from any activities other than the most basic necessities. We have given one lady a ride to the cemetery so that she could put flowers on the grave of her husband and we have provided transportation to an elder who wanted to visit a friend who is now in a nursing home. We enabled another elder to do Christmas shopping and took a grateful elder to the market. Their stories are not so different from all the other people who have been helped to remain independent by volunteers who care enough to give of their time.

Mentoring: Our reading/mentor program is a collaboration with a local elementary school and shares the goal of building a caring community by creating one-on-one relationships. After a brief orientation session, volunteers meet with two or three children (ages 6-9) at least twice monthly to read and discuss books. Our volunteers have fun and the sunshine they bring to the children is reflected back to them in the satisfaction they feel.

Call Check: Have you ever received a call from a friend or neighbor who just wanted to know how you were doing? Remember how great it felt to know that someone cared? Our Call Check Program has been designed to provide a friendly telephone call to someone who lives alone. It is intended to provide telephone assurance, friendship and a safety check. The elder and the volunteer decide how many times weekly, Monday through Friday, they wish to be called. The rest is up to them. It’s a simple “Hi -- just wanted to know you’re OK,” that means the world to someone who lives alone. If you are someone who lives alone and can’t get out much, we would love to talk to you. Or perhaps you can help us to be the friendly phone voice to someone else. And, you don’t even have to leave home to do it!

Fellowship: Once monthly, a group of friends and neighbors gather together for some entertainment and coffee and pastries. The meeting place changes from month to month - sometimes at a church, sometimes at one of Fall River’s high rises -- but one thing never changes, and that is the good time that is had by all! Seniors are invited to bring their ideas, stories, laughter, and friends. There is no invitation needed to join this group. We want YOU!

Bible Study: This educational, inter-faith series demonstrates the collaboration within the Fall River community as leaders of various faiths prepare thematic sessions designed to enlighten and educate older adults. A recent four-week series was entitled “The Prophets Speak Today” and was conducted at the churches of the respective host pastors. Come join us!

Healthy Bones: We all know that exercise is good for us. When neighbors and friends get together to exercise, it is good for the body and soul! Exercise classes and health programs help seniors to cope with chronic illness and develop a healthier lifestyle. Our Healthy Bones program helps seniors to reap the benefits of increased strength and flexibility. And you won’t be surprised when you learn that this program is led by a volunteer. Estelle, trained to lead the group, motivates others to exercise and develop a healthier lifestyle while she herself stays young at heart!

Lifetime Learning: When is the time to stop learning? NEVER! In this first, most popular program offered by the Shepherd’s Center, a variety of workshops stimulate the intellect and promote lifelong learning. Men and women study local history, share spiritual journeys, learn foreign languages, and write memoirs, and much, much more. And the teachers? You guessed it -- all volunteers, giving of their time, talents and gifts. This wonderful 6 week session, held in the Spring and Fall of each year, brings elders in the community together to enjoy the intellectual stimulation of continued learning and the immeasurable gifts of community and friendship.

There are many other activities sponsored by the Shepherd’s Center. Whether you want to offer your services as a volunteer, or join your neighbors and friends for fellowship, we have a spot for you at the Shepherd’s Center!

We‘re a volunteer organization
The Shepherd’s Center is a volunteer organization. Everyone has gifts and talents to share with neighbors and the Center is a place to do just that. The unique aspect of our work is that the volunteers working within our programs - teaching, learning, helping, giving and receiving -- are older adults themselves. Our volunteers are the very heart of the Shepherd’s Center. Nothing high-tech here -- just people helping people. Neighbor helping neighbor.

We’re an inter-faith organization
It doesn’t matter what church you belong to or where you are in your walk of faith. A single mandate is shared by all faiths, and that is the mandate to do good works. At the Shepherd’s Center, you will find many ways to “do good works.”

We’re a “Faith in Action®” Program
Just as we are committed to doing good works, we are also committed to helping our neighbors live independently as long as possible. For someone who cannot drive, this means taking them where they need to go. For someone who is lonely and isolated, it means visiting them. For someone who cannot change a light bulb, it means replacing it and bringing light into their world in more ways than the obvious. For our neighbors, it means doing whatever needs to be done to keep them living independently. For us, it means putting our faith to work - it means becoming “Faith in Action?.”

We’re looking for someone like you!

Whether you want to join us for one of our programs, wish to volunteer your services, or maybe both -- we’re looking for you! Want to receive our newsletter? It’s full of good, useful information and dates for activities and events you won’t want to miss. Just give our office a call and we will add you to our mailing list - a mailing list that includes many of your friends and neighbors!

Call us today at 508-678-7575

Our Partnering Congregations and Associations:
Bay View Retirement Community
Bristol Elder Services
Calvary United Presbyterian Church
Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption
Church of the Ascension
Community Connect
First Baptist Church
Home for Aged People in Fall River
Life Greetings
Parish Nurse Program
St. Anne’s Shrine
St. Anne’s Behavioral Medicine
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
The Unitarian Society in Fall River
United Methodist Church
United Parish of Fall River
Visiting Nurse Association of SE Massachusetts

Back to Fall River home page