Volunteer with Fairfax homelessness services
Looking for a service opportunity for your youth group? “The Lamb Center provides a hands-on opportunity to serve and form relationships with the homeless,” says Dave Larrabee, Director of Operations and member of Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Montgomery Village, Md.
Youth volunteers and guests spend time together in a Bible study at The Lamb Center.
The Lamb Center is a daytime drop-in in Fairfax City, Virg., serving more than one hundred guests each day according to Larrabee. About 50 local churches, including several ELCA congregations, support the Lamb Center in various ways, including on the Board of Directors.
Things easily taken for granted, like a mailing address or a haircut, are among the wide range of services supporting Lamb Center guests. Also offered are employment counseling, case management, breakfast and lunch, laundry service and storage. Through Fairfax County homeless outreach workers, guests have access to physical and mental health care and housing programs, plus English as a Second Language classes and pro bono legal service. In addition, guests are invited to join in daily morning prayer, daily Bible study, weekly chapel services led by pastors and priests from the supporting churches, and daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Local and national youth groups have served at the Lamb Center on an ongoing, occasional or one-time basis, including Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Vienna, King of Kings Lutheran Church in Fairfax, and Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Fairfax. Groups can be found “working in the laundry and kitchen, organizing our often overflowing pantry, completing special upkeep projects and forming relationships with our guests,” Larrabee says.
If your youth group is interested in getting involved, please contact Larrabee at 703-691-3178 or davelarrabee
thelambcenter.org. And check out “The Lamb Center” on Facebook.