C.E.R.V.E. members coordinate efforts to provide short-term emergency assistance to those who don’t qualify for other social programs. (CP photo by Ken Snow)
Sometimes a person needs a good Samaritan to come to the rescue, and that is what C.E.R.V.E. (Caroline Emergency Relief [through] Volunteer Efforts) is all about. The non-profit relies on volunteers and donations to offer short-term emergency assistance to individuals who do not qualify for other social programs.
It also offers immediate help to persons in need who are eligible for social services, but are waiting for the necessary paperwork to be processed.
Of late, the group has not been as active as in times past, but that is about to change. On Jan. 19 around a dozen locals met at the offices of Caroline County Social Services Director Wendy Staples Sneed to revitalize C.E.R.V.E. and increase public awareness.
“More people need to know about the help they can receive as well as where they can donate time, money or skills,” Sneed said.
Everyone is invited to get involved, but the effort is largely faith based.
“We need to connect or reconnect to all of the smaller churches that would like to help, but don’t have a phone number that could be reached at just any time,” Sneed said. “Some are only answered one or two days a week.
“There are about 70 churches throughout Caroline County,” she said, and over time, pastors come and go.
“Sometimes this information is not passed on,” she said. “A new pastor might not have all the community connections.”
A major goal for the group is to organize efforts of those in Caroline County who want to lend a helping hand.
“For example, Carmel Baptist Church let us know that they were going to have a community meal on Thanksgiving,” Sneed said.
The smaller Agape Family Life Church had members who also wanted to serve others on the holiday.
“We helped get the two together,” Sneed said. Agape members were able to donate their time and skills at Carmel.
“A universal problem in Caroline is that we need to know what each other is doing,” she said. “We need to put together people who do special things instead of looking for someone who can do it all.”
“We’re such a small community that we need to put these pegs in place. I like to change things so we are doing them in the most efficient way. Your time, my time, everyone’s time is valuable,” she said. “We need to be coordinating what is happening and avoid repetitive motion.”
Sneed also wants the public to recognize that there are many local options for donating food, clothing or other help, in addition to the larger regional organizations. There are people in need who are unable to drive to Fredericksburg or another city.
While most aid goes to Caroline residents for things such as emergency electric bill payments or prescription medications, some of it helps strangers who are passing through. If a person in need breaks down or runs out of gasoline on I-95 in Caroline County, they can be given a free night in a motel and gasoline to help get them on their way.
“One time we put up a church group of seven women from New Jersey who had been rear-ended,” said C.E.R.V.E. team member Brian Finucane, “and we want all Caroline County Sheriff’s Office deputies and state police to know there is help for stranded travelers. They are the ones on the front lines.”
The group is not an arm of social services and does not belong to the agency. While Sneed is the director of Caroline County Social Services, she works with C.E.R.V.E. as just another member of the all-volunteer team.
Have help or a tax-deductible donation to give? For all information call 804-633-5648, ext. 114 for Wendy Staples Sneed, or ext. 115 for Anne Tyree. The next C.E.R.V.E. meeting is scheduled for Feb. 16 at 4 p.m.
– CP Correspondent Kenneth Snow
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