 Love INC provides a wide range of assistance to persons in need with the intention of encouraging them to become self supporting. The organization is a faith-based collaboration of Houghton County churches – the local affiliate of a national movement. The churches pool their volunteer resources and funding to broaden service availability and flexibility. Services are available to anyone in the community regardless of faith or denomination.
Persons seeking assistance can telephone a “Ministry Line” from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. This number callers with a “clearinghouse,” where volunteers complete an intake form – a process that takes about 15 minutes – for new recipients of services. For current recipients, transportation is added to the list of services needed. Transportation is potentially available at any time of day, seven days a week, though Sunday rides can be difficult to arrange. Service is limited to Houghton County. Employment-based and medical trips are priorities, but transportation can be given for any reason. Transportation is provided only by volunteers of the same gender as the recipient. Both temporary and long-term recurring arrangements are possible. Two days notice is recommended for temporary or one-time arrangements, with a longer wait for long-term arrangements. In the latter case, drivers try to economize by combining trips, carpooling, and looking for overlapping routes.
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Public and Private Transportation Providers