The Brightside: Love INC Expansion
SUSSEX Co., Del. – Many on Delmarva are familiar with Love INC of Mid-Delmarva, which is part of a global mission to mobilize local churches to transform lives and communities in the name of Christ. Through hard work, dedication, and the will to help others, the organization is expanding to provide much-needed resources to those in need of a helping hand.
“The point is not to meet more needs, but to be ready to respond to the needs,” says Executive Director, Miguel Alban Guerrero. Over 46,000 needs to be exact, were met last year through this growing organization; A group that believes in working together for the greater good. “We have volunteers from different businesses from different churches who not only want to help financially but who want to get involved in people’s lives,” says Alban Guerrero.
While it isn’t a new organization, the Mid-Delmarva branch is growing, with the recent opening of its connection center, something Alban Guerrero tells us is the heart of Love INC. “Businesses trust our connection center, churches trust it, community leaders trust it.” Alban Guerrero goes on to explain “They refer people to us and we can, through our system, get all the information of what they need help with.”
Volunteers and staff do the vetting, they detect who needs help if it’s legitimate, and what kind of help is needed. Whether financial, a place to stay, catching up on utility bills, food, whatever it is, they’ll find a way to get it. “Right away we try to build a budget with them to make sure that they’re spending their resources the best way possible.” So if there’s a person who needs gas to get to work, we’re going to call the job to make sure that they work there, and we do help them with the gas through a partner of ours,” says Alban Guerrero.
It’s the growing number of partners and organizations that allows them to provide much-needed resources to the community. Once a need is established, the case manager takes over. “Our case manager can meet them in person, get to know them, build a relationship, and come up with a plan so that they can get out of the situation that they’re in.”
The case manager then works with their transformational ministries department to gather those resources. A working system like this has allowed Love INC to take 40 people from homelessness to owning their own homes! Alban Guerrero tells us, “Our system is meant to detect who wants to get back on their two feet and learn how to stay there.”
In addition to the services they provide, the cross-campus holds a multitude of those resources. A laundry facility, shower, classrooms where mentors and teachers can meet with community members, a kitchen where lunch and dinner are served throughout the week, a community garden, and a clothing closet and pantry…” We made it look like a store so that when kids come with their parents, they’ll have dignity and they can say we went shopping instead of picking things up from the ground or a bag,” says Alban Guerrero.
In 2023 alone, they answered over 6,000 calls, referred over 2,000 people to Code Purple for a place to stay, made meals 15 times a week, over 10,000 clothing articles given away, with only a staff of 10 people, and several volunteers. Love INC is the epitome of working together to reach a common goal. “It’s not up to one person, or two, three, it’s all of us coming together to help our Mid-Delmarva neighbors, it makes things so much easier. Alban Guerrero adds “Just as we’ve been helped in tough situations in our lives, we want to be there for people in tough situations as well.”
Alban Guerrero also tells 47 ABC, that their growth isn’t always measured by the amount of needs met, it’s simply being best prepared to respond to the current needs, and hopefully one day not being needed at all because everyone in the community is fully served.
Until then, if you want to learn more about Love INC how to donate, or volunteer, or if you need a helping hand, visit their website.
