Ecumenical Neighborhood Aid provides service to those closest to you

Created: 07/12/2022, 17:10

By: Bettina Stuhlweißenburg

She makes sure that the help arrives: operations manager Christina Bader-Kowalski.

© Thomas Plettenberg

The neighborhood help Holzkirchen plugs holes in the social network - and has been doing so for more than 30 years.

For this she depends on donations.

Help us!

This is possible as part of our "Readers help readers" campaign.

Holzkirchen – For more than 30 years, the Ecumenical Neighborhood Aid in Holzkirchen has been doing its service to those closest to you: It jumps in where there are holes in the social network.

Seniors, the sick, but also young families can find help here in everyday life.

The non-profit organization has 74 members and 48 volunteers.

There are an average of 46 different assignments per month with 285 helper hours per month.

The “Readers Help Readers” fundraiser helps finance this offer.

We spoke to operations manager Christina Bader-Kowalski about the association's commitment.

Ms. Bader-Kowalski, who is the ecumenical neighborhood help aimed at?

We see ourselves as a bridge to citizens in difficult situations - regardless of whether they are young or old. But it is mostly older people who need our help.

We accompany them to the doctor or to the authorities if they cannot do it on their own.

We visit them at home or in the nursing home so that they don't become lonely.

We take them for walks, play games and do the shopping.

But we also help more and more often with filling out forms and with light work in the household or in the garden.

For example, mowing the lawn.

We want to enable people to stay in their familiar homes for as long as possible.

Don't these people have relatives who can help them?

Many are indeed alone.

Others have family, but not locally because their children and relatives live far away.

It is very comforting for these families to know that someone is coming and caring.

However, it is usually the case that the relatives are involved in professional life and therefore cannot take care of them as intensively as the individual situation requires.

Our volunteers work two to three times a week.

Our fundraiser “Readers help readers”: the most important information at a glance

Beneficiaries:

 Three organizations benefit from the “Readers Help Readers” campaign.

In cooperation with the “Holzkirchen hilft” association, we support low-income earners from the entire district who are in need because of the high energy and living costs.

A smaller part of the proceeds will also support the construction of an inclusion playground for children with and without disabilities in Miesbach and the visiting service of the Holzkirchen neighborhood aid.

Donation account 13 300: 

Donations can be paid into account 13 300 at the Kreissparkasse Miesbach-Tegernsee (BLZ 711 525 70), IBAN DE04 7115 2570 0000 0133 00 - personally or by bank transfer.

Donation receipts: 

The copy of the transfer is recognized by the tax office as a donation receipt up to an amount of 300 euros.

For donations over 300 euros, the district office issues the donation receipts.

Donors are asked to provide their full address.

How do the people you help react?

You are very grateful.

Most really come alive when their helper comes.

We try to find a permanent helper for everyone so that they have a permanent reference person.

That's why we make sure that the chemistry is right when the helper comes for the first time.

Only then can trust develop.

But there are also people who have two or three helpers because they have different needs.

We have a total of 48 helpers.

They take on different services.

Your helpers work on a voluntary basis.

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That's right.

However, you will receive an expense allowance of eight euros per hour.

The person being looked after pays six euros and two euros for neighborhood assistance.

We also cover the travel costs incurred during an assignment.

But we can only do this because we receive donations.

We could not exist without donations from companies, churches, the community and private individuals.

One must also not forget: Among the people we look after, there are also needy people who cannot afford the expense allowance.

For example, we once had the case of a heavily pregnant woman who was not doing well.

She already had two very lively twins.

A temporary helper came once or twice a week to look after the twins.

So that the mother could rest.

This family could not afford the six euros.

In such cases, the neighborhood help will cover the expense allowance.

You can read more about this year’s fundraiser “Readers help Readers 2022” here.