Mission Statement

The mission of Caring Hearts is as follows:

1. To enable the frail elderly and disabled to remain at home by strengthening and complementing their support systems.
2. To encourage and assist traditional congregational commitment through organization in delivering volunteer support services to the elderly and disabled.
3. To recruit and train volunteers, through interfaith efforts, from all religious denominations and other sources in the greater Trenton area.
4. To promote the present system of services available through networking and the dissemination of information.

The rationale for this mission is found in the recognition that traditionally religious congregations have been the source of assistance to the frail elderly and disabled for a variety of reasons, among which are the following:

• Many frail elderly suffer loneliness and turn to their religious communities for relief.
• Elderly care receivers and care givers are especially comfortable interacting with others of the same religious faith.
• Religious congregations offer services in ways different from public agencies and often have contact with the invisible elderly, who often don’t come in contact with public agencies.
• Many frail people have been active and contributing members of their religious communities and now hope they will be shown the same care by the community.
• The call to care for the elderly is found in scripture and ministry of all faiths. Many congregations are experienced in care giving as an ongoing ministry.

Caring Hearts is a group within Our Lady of Sorrows - St. Anthony parish founded in 1995 as one of 25 congregation-based groups participating in Interfaith Caregivers of Greater Trenton Inc. (now Interfaith Caregivers of Greater Mercer County (ICGMC)). ICGMC is the local organization within a nationwide network of congregations formed in 1984 as the National Federation of Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers. The National Organization is now called the Interfaith Alliance.

ICGMC works with congregations through the National Federation of Interfaith Volunteer Care givers by providing comprehensive assistance, insurance coverage, special training, help with recruiting volunteers, linkage to the community network of medical and social services and linkage with other congregations engaged in a similar ministry.