Community News and Events

ALL WOMEN ARE INVITED to join the Women’s Open Bible Study which meets alternate Monday evenings at 7:00 PM in the Family Room (see the weekly calendar). The resource being used is “No Experience Necessary”. For more information, please contact Carmen Mallrich or Lori Feine.

Pray for Peace - An Interfaith Experience - Thursday, September 11, 2008, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m., at San Rafael Parish, 17252 Bernardo Center Drive. Let us pray together together and create a world of love and peace. www.sanrafaelparish.org. 858-451-0135. Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, New Thought, Sikh, Sufi.

760-489-6380

550 W. Washington Ave., Ste. B

Escondido, CA 92025

ICS FOOD PANTRY has depleted its supply of food and desperately need to receive donations of non-perishable food items, infant care and personal care items.

JULY FOOD DRIVE: Please take home one of the grocery bags on the narthex table and bring it back by Sunday, August 3, with donations for the Interfaith Community Services food bank.

ICS VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED to assist with Interfaith’s daily operations and service to the community. Please contact ICS’ Volunteer Coordinator, Nusrat Symons at 760-489-6380 if you can help.

MERLE'S PLACE, Interfaith's 44-bed shelter for Veterans, is located at 550 Washington Ave. in Escondido. Volunteers are needed to cook, prepare and serve meals to the Merle's Place residents. Dinner is served seven nights a week as volunteers work from 4:30 - 7:30 pm. Special weekend breakfasts will also need volunteers from 5:30 - 8:00 am. Initially, small groups of 2-5 volunteers will be enough, but as the 44-bed shelter fills to capacity, groups of 5-10 are welcome! One-time opportunities or recurring commitments are available. For more information, please contact Greg Anglea 760-489-6380 ext. 221 or ganglea@interfaithservices.org

RAYMOND’S REFUGE is a permanent housing facility that provides supportive services including case management for four chronically homeless and four chronically homeless and disabled Seniors 60 years of age and older who are low income qualified. Interfaith Community Services has 3 disabled and 2 regular units available in Escondido. The units are fully furnished. If you have any applicants, please call John Portela at 760-489-6380.

DO YOU HAVE A VEHICLE TO DONATE? If you or someone you know has a car, boat, motor home, mobile home, airplane, truck, etc. (running or not) and they would like to donate it to a worthy cause, Interfaith will accept any of the above and it's as easy as 123. All you have to do is call 1-877-GIVE-123 (877-448-3123). They will take all of your information and come pick it up. 70% of the sale price of the car will come to Interfaith to support our programs and services. What an easy way to make a donation to such a worthy cause.

THE ELIZABETH HOSPICE has a bereavement support group which meets at Pomerado Hospital, 15615 Pomerado Rd., Poway, in the Café on the 1^st and 3^rd Wednesdays of the month from 6:00 - 7:30 PM. For more information about Elizabeth Hospice services visit http://www.elizabethhospice.org.

The ALZHEIMER ASSOCIATION HAS A CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP that meets on the third Wednesday of every month, 6:30-8:30 PM at Belmont Village at Sabre Springs, 13075 Evening Creek Drive, San Diego. The support group provides family members, friends and caregivers of those with degenerative brain diseases and opportunity to receive emotional support, exchange coping skills and obtain Alzheimer’s disease information and access to community resources. For more information, log onto www.sanalz.org or call Joni Bosky (619) 588-7111. The Southern Caregiver Resource Center is located at 3675 Ruffin Road, Suite 230, San Diego, CA 92123. Phone: 858-268-4432 / 800-827-1008 (in CA); FAX: 858-268-7816; E-mail: scrc@caregivercenter.org

RIDES AND SMILES is a free transportation service offered for Peñasquitos, Rancho Bernardo and Poway residents 60+ years old through Jewish Family Services. Persons needing rides to appointments must be enrolled in the program. Once you are enrolled you need to give a week’s notice of your ride request. At the end of each month enrollees receive a report listing the rides they have taken. A $2.50 donation/each way is suggested for those who are able to pay for this service. Volunteer drivers are fingerprinted, are insured and have inspected vehicles. More drivers are needed and participation is tailored to individual willingness and availability. Feel free to volunteer to help provide this service. Call Marilyn at (858) 674-1124 to request an enrollment form or a ride or to volunteer.

THE SENIOR EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM (SEAS) is a personal emergency response system that provides 24-hour access to medical and social services at the press of a button. It promotes an independent lifestyle for seniors and people with disabilities or other serious medical conditions. A sliding fee scale ensures that the SEAS program is available for everyone who needs it. The program is funded through grants and support from the City of San Diego, San Diego County, San Diego Foundation and other foundations. For information call (858) 483-5100 or email info@cfsc-sd.org.

“ANGELS HAVE WHEELS”... All Medicare recipients should be aware that they may be eligible to receive an electric wheelchair, paid for by Medicare, if they suffer from conditions such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease and respiratory disorders, and have difficulty walking or propelling a manual wheelchair. For information non-Medicare eligibility, contact Gregory Coleman at (800) 810-2877.

IN-HOME SUPPORTIVE SERVICES (IHSS) is a program that helps elderly, blind and disabled people remain in their own homes when they are not able to fully care for themselves or handle routine tasks. For information about the IHSS program and how you might qualify for services, call San Diego County Aging and Independent Services at (800) 510-2020. The IHSS Provider Registry recruits potential Individual Providers throughout San Diego County. In-Home Care Providers are needed. Contact In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Public Authority Provider Registry toll free at (866) 351-7722.