Faith in Action Volunteer Caregiving for Older Adults

Current FIA volunteers: Download your FIA timesheet here.

What is Faith in Action?
NHCO pairs caring volunteers with senior citizens and adults with physical disabilities through the Faith in Action program. Volunteers are matched with those in need to offer the following help:

• Provide transportation to and from doctors' appointments, physical therapy, hair salon, etc.
• Take grocery shopping, or do the shopping for him or her
• Perform home safety evaluations (e.g. check for adequate lighting, gas leaks, night lights, dangerous rugs or furniture, etc.)
• Screen individuals for eligibility for Medicare and other government programs
• Help with light chores and errands
• Rake leaves and other yard work (great youth project!)
• Friendly phone calls and visits

There are no income requirements to receive help through Faith in Action. If you would like to receive assistance or to volunteer for Faith in Action, contact Cathy Pschirer at 412-307-0069.

All Faith in Action trainings are listed on the Open Your Heart to a Senior website.

Free Rides for Seniors: NHCO operates a 14-passenger shuttle bus to provide Free Rides for Seniors. The shuttle bus, which is sponsored in part by the St. Margaret Foundation, travels along Freeport Road between Sharpsburg and Blawnox on weekdays between 10-4. Funds are also provided by:

Service is geared toward helping seniors get to doctors' appointments, grocery shopping, lunch with friends, etc. Volunteer drivers are needed (no special license required), as are "ride-along" dispatchers to take phone calls and assist with navigation.

Seniors ages 60 and above can call 412-782-2001 after 9:45 AM on the day they need a ride.

The office for Free Rides for Seniors is located at UPMC Lighthouse Pointe in O'Hara Township. For more information about Free Rides for Seniors or Faith in Action-Hartwood, contact Kerry Keegan Mulhern at 412-449-0151.

NHCO is now an ACCESS 65+ sign-up site. Any senior (age 65+) who needs to sign up for the ACCESS transportation program can now come to our North Boroughs office to fill out the paperwork instead of going downtown. Contact Marta Spangler at 412-307-0069 for more information.

With funding from the United Way of Allegheny County and in partnership with Family Services of Western PA, North Hills Community Outreach is reaching out to potential volunteers through a project called Open Your Heart to a Senior. We are hoping to reach individuals throughout all of Allegheny County who are interested in helping a local senior remain safe and independent in their own home. Volunteers can make a difference in seniors’ lives by helping with simple tasks that don't take much time, such as:

• Taking a senior grocery shopping, or taking their list with you when you do yours
• Driving someone to a doctor’s appointment or to their worship service
• Visiting or calling to make sure a senior is safe and to prevent feelings of isolation
• Shoveling snow or raking leaves

Read a great story (featuring one of our volunteers and care receivers) about Open Your Heart to a Senior.