Who we are and What we do

We are the Rich family - Matt, Jodie, Micah (13) & Lilly (9).  We love Jesus!!  He tells us to reach out to those around us ... those in our home, those in our community, those in this world.  We want to share His love with everyone.

We've created CARECANS as a way to involve families with young children in the implementation of helping the homeless.  We educate families about homelessness, provide packing opportunities, and send them with CARECANS to pass out to those who are in need.

CARECANS provide

HOPE, HEALTH, and HYGIENE.

HOPE:

• We share the Good News, the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• We share shelter and diner information in the Phoenix area that support homeless individuals and families.

HEALTH:

• We provide a toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss.  (Oral hygiene plays an important role in overall health.)
• We provide a small snack.
• We (try to) provide a $5.-$10. gift card to an accommodating restaurant.

HYGIENE:

• We provide shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, a comb, and lip balm. (Feeling clean and healthy promotes confidence.)





How we got started

It was May 8, 2010 and our Sunday School Enrichment class, Strong Families, put together an outreach event.  The goal behind our class, led by Dr. John Trent, is to "do life together" - by doing Faith@Home and serving together as a family.  This particular event was in conjunction with the Phoenix Rescue Center.
We had 4 stations set up around our church gymnastium.  The stations included:

1. Making signs to post in the cafeteria of the Phoenix Rescue Center
2. Making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for one of their meals
3. Praying in the prayer garden:  *for the Phoenix Rescue Center, *for those who work there, *for those who go there for a meal and some help
4. Filling tennis ball containers with hygiene products, a snack, and a note (handwritten by our children) telling them how much God loves them

The entire event was a great experience, but the tennis ball container station was impactful on our family.

How it works

It's a 10-step program

1.  We gather the materials.
2.  We prepare the tennis ball cans.
3.  We always have one, or two, cans in the car. (They fit great in the cup holder!)
4.  We look for homeless, or needy, people as we drive to various locations.  (My kids have an eye for them.)
5.  We get close to the person.  (We may need to turn around to get to the other side of the street, but they are worth it.)
6.  Depending on the location and how much time is available (could be a red light), we hand them the container, ask their name, and tell them we will be praying for them.  (If there's extra time, we may ask about their situation, if there's anything else they'd like us to pray about, etc.)
7.  We drive away, but ... it does not end there.
8.  We pray for that person - immediately.  We write down their name and location (and any other information we may have gotten from them).
9.  We continue to pray for that person.  We look for that person the next time we are in that area.
10.  Sometimes we see our friends again and create a relationship ... sometimes we don't, but continue to pray.

See inside

We take the label off of the can and replace it with our personalized label - a short version of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  We also personalize each can with information and maps to available shelters, locations for food, and places that provide help with any addictions (C.A.S.S., Andre House, and St. Vincent De Paul dining rooms).  Micah and Lilly include a picture and personalize it with a message about how much God loves them.

The hygiene and snack items consist of:

toothbrush

toothpaste

dental floss

shower gel

shampoo
conditioner

lotion

lip balm

food (various types and sizes - fruit snacks; nutrition bars; snack pacs; etc.)

It's that time of the year

Different seasons have different needs.

Winter:

• We provide blankets with our CARECANS.

Spring

• We provide sunscreen with our CARECANS.

Summer

• We provide water bottles and sunscreen with our CARECANS.

Fall

• We provide socks with our CARECANS.

Partnerships - Donations, Contributions

If you have access to any of the above items, including tennis ball containers, please let us know.  We would like to partner with you!

We have determined these items meet a real need among the homeless community.  We hope you can help us maintain our inventory through your donation. Specifically, think of us when you are phasing out or replacing labels, have surplus inventory, or have items that are nearing their expiration dates.  We ask that you please not throw your product away but  contact us at carecans@cox.net. We’ll arrange to pick up your donation and provide a tax-deductible receipt.

We look forward to hearing from you and working with you!



Theme Song

Our theme song is "Follow You" by Leeland, from the album Love Is On The Move.  You can hear a sample at KLove.  It's not available on our playlist, so here are the lyrics:

You live among the least of these
The weary and the weak
And it would be a tragedy
For me to turn away
All my needs You have supplied
When I was dead You gave me life
So how could I not give it away so freely?

And I'll...
Follow You into the homes of the broken
Follow You into the world
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God
Follow You into the world

Use my hands use my feet
To make Your kingdom come
To the corners of the earth
Until Your work is done
Faith without works is dead
On the cross Your blood was shed
So how could we not give it away so freely?

And I give all myself
I give all myself
I give all myself to You