Care in the Cracks

Orthodox Volunteer Corps and Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship

Michael Sider-Rose, PhD | CEO, Orthodox Volunteer Corps

On a recent Tuesday morning, one of the OVC Corps Members, Nicholas, was walking to an appointment near downtown Pittsburgh with his service placement supervisor. In the middle of an intersection, they saw a man in a wheelchair, wearing a hospital gown, slowly moving across the street and talking to himself. They learned that he had just checked himself out of a nearby hospital but was clearly still in need of care.

What happens to neighbors who slip through cracks? Here’s one answer.

Nicholas works at a medical clinic for low-income patients; his supervisor is a doctor there. Another Corps Member, Preston, works at a drop-in resource center close to the clinic. Many who come to the
center, including the man in the wheelchair, need care. Nicholas, Preston, and their supervisors saw an
opportunity to respond, and, this month, they launched a new project: One morning a week, Nicholas and his supervisor visit the shelter to offer basic healthcare and build the relationships needed for sustained care at the clinic.

This is care in the cracks. It comes from community – of Corps Members,their supervisors, and our neighbors on the street.