Love INC: In the business of helping

By Patrick Sherman

The Clackamas Review, May 16, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

patrick sherman / clackamas review

Charlotte McCommon and Betsy Packer volunteer at Hope INC.

If there is a switchboard in Heaven, where winged operators patch callers through to Klondike-4N631, then that would be the model for Love INC. A charity in Clackamas County, it brings together churches that specialize in providing different types of help for the needy.

“Churches are full of well-intentioned, good-hearted folks that want to help,” said Tara Rolstad, executive director of Love INC. “The problem is that one church doesn’t know what the next church down the road is doing.”

Rather than creating redundant services and potentially being taken advantage of by connivers, churches that align themselves with Love INC become part of a coordinated network.

“We ask each church to work with us to identify a gap that needs filling, and by doing that we develop a gap inventory,” Rolstad said. “We’re very big on not duplicating resources – that’s wise stewardship.”

Love INC, which is an acronym for “In the Name of Christ,” started 30 years ago in Minnesota, and has since spread across the country through 130 affiliates. The Clackamas County branch has 40 member churches.

“It really varies, but I’d estimate that we help 35 to 50 families per month,” said Rolstad. “There are a lot more people we are able to help quickly, by directing them to a nearby food pantry or some other resource.”

Rolstad said that most of their clients are referred from member churches, although an increasing percentage is coming from government social service agencies.

“When we get a call, a volunteer answers the phone, and that’s where we think the service really begins,” she said. “Often, these folks are not given the opportunity to share their stories.

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