Did You Know — Christian Assistance Ministry

A Missions Moment Brought to you by the
Missions & Ministries Committee 

Woodland Missions budget for 2025 for CAM (Christian Assistance Ministry) is $4,000. This money goes directly to CAM for their operating budget. Our CAM Ministry Team also collects money to help make the lunch bags they make each month. These bags contain chips, cookies/granola bar, peanut butter crackers, fruit cup, Bible verse strip, napkin, and hard candy. They make 500 lunch bags each month! Since this Woodland ministry began in April 2000, we have provided over 20,000 lunches to CAM.

CAM’s mission is to share the love of Christ by providing immediate assistance and encouragement to people in crisis. CAM serves in the following ways:

• Service
  CAM serves over 70,000 people on an annual basis with important “safety net” resources including food, clothing, financial assistance for prescriptions, utilities, and ID recovery just to name a few. They strive to meet their immediate needs to avoid further crisis and then help them gain access to additional community resources. 75% of those served are working poor and 14,000 are children

• Community
  CAM has over 200 volunteers who serve with CAM every week. Interested in joining their community? Contact Mary Henderson at mhenderson@cam-sa.org.

• Grace
  Every person who comes to CAM, regardless of beliefs, is considered a child of God. Help is extended to all clients through the distribution of food, clothing, financial assistance, or by referrals to other agencies, prayer, and a listening ear.

Just like a triage or emergency room, people come to CAM in all sorts of crises. No appointment is necessary, and all are welcome. CAM provides many items to meet clients’ immediate physical needs while also addressing the needs of the mind and soul. CAM is also a vital connection for clients who need long-term support by providing referrals and advocating for the client to other nonprofits and/or government agencies.

After a successful pilot project, CAM is fully implementing a new program called CAMpassion Care.

CAM serves many individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis with no access to health insurance, treatment, or medication. They aren't able to get the help and care they need due to their mental state. CAM saw a huge gap that needed to be filled, and CAM filled that gap. CAM’s goal is to provide a space that meets their very particular need, which is daily support with their mental health. They are the chronically homeless who cannot function in the typical congregate shelter care and thus never move forward off the streets.

CAM’s program allows them to come to CAM (no appointment required) and see a psychiatric nurse practitioner, have the medication delivered, and the CAM staff of outreach workers administer and track their dosage. This is the kind of care this particular population would not get elsewhere due to their mental state. The point of all of this is to get them stabilized, which would allow them to apply for Medicare, get enrolled in community programs that address mental health, and apply and qualify for housing of some kind; all things they currently cannot do right now.

This is just one creative solution CAM is working on to address the needs of the chronically homeless in order to help them move from living on the streets to being housed. In 5 months, they’ve already helped 29 clients total, and they have 15 clients who are actively involved in daily treatment. They hope to help them navigate next steps for transition to a community organization, detox, housing, and a variety of other support and resources.

This program was funded by a grant of more than $600,000 that CAM received. They already have clients who have been able to move into the “tiny houses” that the city has provided. The program is only offered to Cam “regulars”. These are the homeless who come to CAM daily to receive lunch bags, use showers, bathrooms, and other services. There is a staff member who watches for the individuals receiving medication and reminds them to take their dose. As the client receives the medication, they are taught the name of the medication so that if they are in a situation of being in the hospital or perhaps in jail, they can say what medication they take. Long-acting injectables can be made available if and when the client is interested in that option.
 
Want to get involved in Woodland's CAM Ministry?

• Donate money to help make lunch bags (designated to CAM).

• Join the crew making bags on the second Wednesday of each month at 9:00 am in the Atrium.

• Help with the bag delivery on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month and get a first-hand look at all the CAM does.

• Contact Becky Upchurch for all the details (fill out the form on this page: woodlandsa.org/cam-ministry-team).