It’s called “Rake the Town” but to the many volunteers and the staff at Faith in Action, it’s way more pertinent than that.
“It’s getting out, dedicating a few hours for people in need, connect with them and make a difference in their lives,” said Executive Director Denice Freih.
Great River Area Faith In Action Coordinator Lisa Kollar is again calling those with a heart to volunteer for the event that is scheduled to occur Sat. Nov. 1. The program aims to aid seniors, families in need and disabled homeowners who are unable to have their lawns tended to this fall season.
GRAFIA started the Rake the Town and Gather Round volunteer event back in 2003 as a way for their organization and many area church groups and individuals to spend a day visiting homes of the elderly and disabled and raking and doing some upkeep on their lawns in the early fall.
Last year, GRAFIA had over 335 rakers who put in over 1,000 hours at 65 homes.
The overall idea and the mission of GRAFIA is to aid the elderly and disabled and to help them stay in their homes and in their communities.
The “Gather Round” part of the program is an after function gathering where a free meal is served to all the volunteers and homeowners following the day’s work. The food is generally donated by area businesses and served by volunteers at several home churches.
The communities the event affects are Becker, Big Lake, Clear Lake, Clearwater, Monticello, Otsego, Elk River, Zimmerman and Princeton — just about everywhere in the county except St. Cloud. Volunteers are needed from each community and typically the “rakers” serve close to their own home town.
Kollar says usually the volunteers are church groups, clubs and families and the volunteers typically serve households in a 600 square mile territory.
“We are looking for families, businesses, small groups and friends to put teams together or individuals looking to join a team,” said Kollar.
“Volunteers can pick and choose if they want to work all day, half a day or just a few hours. We’re very flexible.”
Volunteers are encouraged to bring along rakes, tarps, bags, gloves — and maybe even band-aids to cover up the few blisters some are sure to get. But GRAFIA says they also have a plethora of rakes and tarps and bags for those who come empty-handed.
Trailers are available and more are needed to drive to the yards and pick up the leaves for disposal at local compost sites.
Volunteers are also encouraged to visit and interact with the homeowners if the opportunity arises — some of whom rarely have visitors and enjoy a little company around their home.
“What we encourage, of course, is for people to not only rake the yards of the needy but also engage them and invite them to the Gather Round,” said Freih. “It’s about relationships. Not raking.”
For more information of Rake the Town or other GRAFIA activities, contact Lisa Kollar by phone at 763-263-4277 or by email at lisa@gra-fia.com.
A few of the local Gather Round sites are: Grace Lutheran Church, 11185 27th Ave SE. in Becker; United Methodist Church, 1304 Main Street, Elk River; Bethany Bible Church, 511 Eagle Lake Road, Big Lake.
Everyday Blessings Store
GRAFIA has also commenced the opening of their brand new boutique along Bank Street across from the fire hall and will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This makes the third store GRAFIA has opened including St. Cloud and Elk River stores.
All three stores sell new and used home decor, furniture, books, Bibles, jewelry and accessories and is all volunteer-run.
GRAFIA is looking for people to help run the Becker store and work in production and the warehouse.
For more information on the store, call GRAFIA at 763-263-4277.
