Care Portal

Lisa McNearney and Tonya Ball join us to talk about care portal.

In through monday with highs in the 70s and 80s.

Jodie.

>> >> care portal is an online connecting platform that helps those in our community who want to give back and get organized.

Joining us tonight, lisa mcnearly.

Regional director for clay, platte and andrew buchanan counties and also the children's ministry director for wyatt parker christian welcome ladies.

>> thank you.

>> thanks for being here.

My first question, lisa, tell us how this platform is creating kind of a needs met philosophy for northwest missouri.

>> sure.

So, care portal began about five years ago.

We are currently in 21 states across the country.

There's over 2300 churches and we have been able to serve over 62,000 children across the nation.

844 of those come from andrew and buchanan county.

The way it works is, it's an online connecting platform.

There's social workers out there every day finding families that have needs.

And so those come from children's division.

Corner stones of care, a licensing agency for foster and adopt and the buchanan county school district is able to post for children and families in need.

They meet with the families.

Find out what their current needs are.

Put those directly into the platform and churches that have said yes to receiving an e-mail about a family in their own backyard that have the need can respond to that need and go in and meet the family and serve the family.

The really cool thing over the past few years, there's also started to involve more people including businesses can sign up to receive needs in your own backyard and individuals as well.

Allows the whole community to serve those that may be going through a crisis.

Especially during this time.

>> tonya, i know you have probably dealt with a little of needs at wyatt park.

What have you noticed care portal being able to do through this pandemic?

>> through the pandemic, we are seeing some more bask needs like bus passes and helping with utilities and stuff such as that.

When we're not in the pandemic, it's delivering bunk beds to children.

Washers and dryers.

Refrigerators and things like that that we are getting out into families.

>> now if families have a need obviously they have to be somehow connected to a local church or business for someone to be able to share that need, is that correct?

>> they actually need to be connected with one of workers at one of those agencies that i mentioned.

Children's division, corner stones or even through their own schools.

They can go through the social workers or counselors.

Some have the family involvement coordinators to talk with and those can be put through the systems through their social workers.

>> that makes sense.

As far as people wanting to give and help with these needs, is there a place where they can go online, sign up or volunteer their time, energy, finances?

>> yeah.

They can go to the care portal.org website and you can sign up your church, individual or business.

If your church isn't involved.

It's a great way to get involved.

We have lots of churches in our community that are active and there's always room for more.

I love how the churches get to work together.

One person might have a bed and another with a refrigerator.

We all get to work together and come together as a body of christ to help hose families in need.

Ladies, thanks for being with me.

Really helping out in the community during