Interfaith Outreach Association

06/12/2026

📞 Challenge a Friend Friday! 📞

Here's your Friday challenge:

Call a friend.

Then call another.

And ask them a simple question:

"Want to spend a few hours making a difference in our community?"

IOA has opportunities for individuals, families, church groups, civic organizations, businesses, and friends to volunteer together.

🛠 Join an Interfaith Rebuilds project.
🛋 Help in our furniture warehouse.
💙 Serve alongside people who care about their community.

Some of the best volunteer teams start with one person inviting a friend.

You don't need special skills.
You don't need years of experience.
You just need a willingness to help a neighbor.

Who will you invite?

Tag a friend below who would make a great volunteer partner and let's build the next 60 years of service together.

06/12/2026

🇺🇸 Friday Feature: Serving Those Who Served 🇺🇸

As we continue celebrating 60 years of serving our neighbors, today we're highlighting one of the many ways IOA supports our community: standing alongside Veterans.

Through our Interfaith Rebuilds program, volunteers help make homes safer for elderly and disabled individuals by building ramps, installing handrails, repairing hazardous walkways, and completing minor home repairs. Many of the neighbors we serve are Veterans who have spent their lives serving our nation and now need a helping hand to remain safe and independent in their homes.

We also work to connect Veterans with additional resources and services available throughout our community.

A safer home means greater independence.
A helping hand means someone knows they are not forgotten.

Thank you to our volunteers, partners, and supporters who help us honor Veterans not only with words, but through action.

💙 Because caring for our neighbors never goes out of style.
Support our mission and partner with IOA- https://www.interfaithoutreach.org/donate/

06/11/2026

🤔 Thoughtful Thursday 🤔

What if one conversation could prevent a crisis?

For 60 years, IOA has recognized that helping our neighbors isn't only about meeting immediate needs—it's also about sharing knowledge that empowers people to make informed decisions.

Throughout the year, we host and participate in educational meetings, community forums, life skills classes, faith-based discussions, housing conversations, and resource-sharing opportunities designed to help people navigate life's challenges.

Education creates opportunity.
Understanding creates confidence.
Community creates connection.

As we celebrate our 60th year, we encourage everyone to stay engaged, ask questions, attend local events, and learn about the resources available throughout our community.

Because sometimes the most powerful assistance we can offer is helping someone know where to turn before a problem becomes a crisis.

06/11/2026

💙 Thankful Thursday 💙

Today, we're thankful for second chances.

For many individuals returning to the community after incarceration, the journey forward can be filled with obstacles. Finding housing, securing employment, reconnecting with family, and rebuilding trust all require support, encouragement, and opportunity.

That is why IOA remains committed to reentry services, aftercare support, housing assistance, employment connections, and sending hundreds of letters of hope each month to individuals who are incarcerated.

We are also grateful for the many community partners, employers, landlords, volunteers, churches, and organizations who choose to see potential instead of past mistakes.

A second chance can change a life.
A supportive community can change a future.

Thank you to everyone who helps create pathways toward hope, restoration, and stability for our neighbors.

06/11/2026

Hey Friends! Pass this along!

Hot temperatures are expected later this week, and free cooling centers will be available across Lynchburg to help residents stay safe and comfortable.

🌡️ Cooling centers will be open Thursday, June 11, and Friday, June 12, at several locations throughout the city, with bottled water provided by Lynchburg Emergency Services.

If you don't have access to air conditioning, consider spending the hottest part of the day at one of these air-conditioned locations:

• Department of Human Services Lobby, 99 Ninth Street - [8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday]
• Miller Center, 301 Grove Street, 2nd Floor Customer Service Desk - [8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday]
• Miller Center, 301 Grove Street, 1st/Ground Floor Entrance to Library Hub (back parking lot) - [10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday]
• Lynchburg Public Library, Downtown Branch, 216 12th Street - [10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday; 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday]
• Salvation Army, 2215 Park Avenue - [12:00 to 5:00 p.m. Friday only]

As temperatures rise, remember to:
✔️ Drink plenty of water
✔️ Limit strenuous outdoor activity during peak heat
✔️ Never leave children or pets in a vehicle
✔️ Check on older adults, neighbors, and anyone who may need assistance

Stay safe, LYH!

06/10/2026

🎉 Help Us Build the Next 60 Years! 🎉

For 60 years, IOA has been blessed by a community that believes in helping neighbors through difficult seasons. As we continue to celebrate this milestone, we're looking ahead to the next 60 years of serving Central Virginia.

Would you consider helping us continue this mission?

💙 Our Community Wish List 💙

✔ Volunteer in our furniture warehouse
✔ Join an Interfaith Rebuilds project
✔ Become a Circle of Hope monthly donor
✔ Donate cleaning supplies
✔ Donate toiletries
✔ Donate laundry detergent
✔ Donate paper towels and toilet paper
✔ Donate new towels and linens
✔ Donate cookware and kitchen items
✔ Donate furniture in good condition
✔ Donate stamps and office supplies
✔ Invite us to speak to your church, business, or civic group
✔ Host a fundraiser benefiting IOA
✔ Follow and share our social media pages
✔ Tell a friend about our mission

Not everyone can do everything, but everyone can do something.

Every volunteer hour, every donated item, every financial gift, and every shared post helps us continue serving neighbors with dignity, compassion, and hope.

Together, we've served our community for 60 years. Together, we'll build the next 60.

Connect with us to learn how you can get involved.https://www.interfaithoutreach.org/contact-us/

06/09/2026

💙 60 Years of Serving Our Neighbors 💙

A job can change everything.

It can provide stability for a family, restore confidence, create new opportunities, and open the door to a brighter future.

As summer arrives, many of our neighbors begin searching for seasonal employment opportunities—from lawn care and landscaping to home improvement projects, car washing, hospitality, and other part-time jobs that become more available during the warmer months.

But before someone can start working, they often need a few essentials: appropriate work clothing, tools, identification documents, transportation assistance, or guidance connecting with employers who are hiring.

For 60 years, IOA has helped neighbors overcome these barriers so they can move toward greater independence and stability. Sometimes the support needed isn't large—it's simply having the right shirt, work boots, or tools to say "yes" to an opportunity.

While we do not have the space to accept clothing donations, there are still ways you can help. Financial gifts, gift cards, and support through our Circle of Hope program help us respond to employment-related needs as they arise.

Because sometimes hope looks like a paycheck.
Sometimes hope looks like a second chance.
And sometimes hope begins with a job.

https://www.interfaithoutreach.org

06/09/2026

💙 60 Years of Serving Our Neighbors 💙

A home isn't truly a home without the little things many of us use every day.

Beds. Dressers. Dining tables. Towels. Dishes. Cookware. Cleaning supplies.

Thanks to generous donations from our community, IOA helps families transform empty spaces into places where memories can be made.

That kitchen table might become the place where homework is finished.
That bed might be where a child finally gets a good night's sleep.

Your donations help create FRESH STARTS.

https://www.interfaithoutreach.org

06/05/2026

💙 60 Years of Serving Our Neighbors 💙

Home is more than four walls.

Every year, Interfaith Outreach Association helps prevent evictions, assists with first month's rent, helps stop writs of possession, and works with families searching for stable housing.

Sometimes, hope looks like a key in a front door.
Sometimes, it looks like one more chance.

Housing stability changes lives, and together our community continues making that possible.

06/04/2026

💙 Celebrating 60 Years of Serving Our Neighbors

Did you know that sometimes the difference between stability and crisis is simply keeping the lights on?

IOA helps families prevent utility disconnections, assists with deposits for new service, and helps neighbors navigate the often overwhelming process of getting utilities established.

A working light switch means a child can finish homework.
Running water means a family can prepare meals and stay healthy.
AC in the summer and heat in the winter means safety and peace of mind.

For 60 years, our community has come together to help meet these basic but life-changing needs.

You can be part of this mission by becoming a Circle of Hope donor or sharing our work with others.

Visit: https://www.interfaithoutreach.org/donate/