Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Have you ever heard of CarePortal? The company was created in December 2013 to connect kids in crisis with churches that can help them. Since then, the organization has worked diligently to connect with churches all over the nation to help children who are in need. It works in just a few simple steps. Step one is “uncovering needs. A child or family in need requires help from a child-serving professional.” Step two is “submitting needs. The child-serving professional vets and types needs into CarePortal.” Step three is “sharing needs. CarePortal alerts nearby churches and community members to needs.” Step four, the final step, is “meeting needs. Churches and community members partner to ensure that the child and family is helped.” The strategy has clearly been working, as Journey Church of Mayo was one of the churches that the group had partnered with, as well as The Nest North Florida. Due to this partnership, three different children in Mayo were able to get the help they needed. Journey Church was made aware of three teenage boys in low-income situations; all three were in need of coats during the recent cold spell. A request was sent to CarePortal, and almost instantly, the request was fulfilled, and all three boys received what they needed. “Shout out to Journey Church for making the connection and being the hands and feet of Jesus,” CarePortal wrote in a Facebook post. “Churches, agencies and donors: imagine how many lives you can impact when needs are met exactly when they’re needed most. CarePortal connects real-time needs with those ready to respond, creating moments of hope and dignity for families.” To learn more about CarePortal, visit www.carePortal.org. To learn more about Journey Church, visit its Facebook page by searching “Journey Church – Mayo, Florida.” To learn more about The Nest North Florida, visit www.thenestnorthflorida.org.