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Frequently Asked Questions

Can we answer your question?!

We hope you find your question and answer below! Of course, if you can't find the answer to your question, please reach out to us at hello@serve-home.org and we would be happy to help you.

BASICS

What are the dates for Serve Home 2022?

August 7th - 12th

What is the schedule for Serve Home 2022?

Sun 8/7                    Serve Home Kickoff                    7pm - 8pm          area church TBA

Mon 8/8-Fri 8/12     Serve on Work Sites                    9am - 3:30pm    local sites assigned at kickoff

                                 Dinner                                           6:15pm - 7pm     area church TBA

                                 Evening Programming                 7pm - 9pm          area church TBA

                                 *Fri 8/12 Evening Programming will be our Closing Celebration to end the week

Who can participate in Serve Home's summer mission?

Anyone! Serve Home was created out of a desire to create a local mission experience for all - individuals, youth, families with children, college students, adults of all ages, church groups; people in every season of life; untrained laborers ready to learn and willing to work hard to help others. We intentionally choose service projects in the community that will allow everyone to participate.

Do I have to believe in God or Jesus to participate in Serve Home?

Nope! While we are a Christian organization and our week will certainly include spiritual conversations, teachings, and experiences focused on Jesus Christ, we love having a mixture of people from various spiritual backgrounds, upbringings, and lifestyles serving and learning together. All are welcome, regardless of religion, and belief in God, belief in Jesus, and/or church involvement are not requirements to participate.

Can my whole family participate in Serve Home?

Yes! Your whole family - young and old - is invited to participate in Serve Home! Children* are welcome to join as Day participants alongside a registered parent or legal guardian. Students and teens (middle & high school students) are invited to participate as a group alongside registered adult chaperones (1:6 adult to student ratio required per overnight group).
*children below 6th grade register for free

What physical abilities are required to serve on a work site?

There is no specific requirement! People of all abilities and skill levels are invited to serve with us. Each year, we have a variety of work sites that include a range of projects with opportunities to learn new skills and put them to use. Some projects may be construction geared, while others may be focused on gardening or landscaping; we also plan to have a project this summer that is focused on building relationships in the community! We believe that everyone has skills, gifts, and passions to offer and we want everyone to know that there is a place for them at Serve Home. If you have questions or would like to hear more about the scope of projects, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@serve-home.org.

Can I drop my child off at the work site?

No. Children must participate alongside a registered parent or legal guardian and are not allowed to be dropped off without a parent or legal guardian at the work site, dinner, or evening programming.

What if I can't attend the entire week?

No problem! While we encourage everyone to join us for as many days as possible, the joy of serving locally is that everyone has an opportunity to participate at some level. If you cannot attend the entire week, simply register for Serve Home 2022 and let us know which days you plan to attend! Registration is for the full week, regardless of availability, which means you are welcome to join us for dinner and evening programming for all 5 nights, even on days you may be unable to serve on the work sites. (You do not need to know your exact availability to register - simply register today and submit your availability by June 15th).

REGISTRATION

Where do I register for Serve Home 2022?

Go to our "Summer 2022" page (serve-home.org/summer2022) and fill in the required fields for registration! A $50 deposit per person is due at the time of registration.

What types of registration packages are there for Serve Home 2022?

There are 2 registration packages for Serve Home 2022: Individual/Family Participant & Student Group Participant.

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INDIVIDUAL/FAMILY - one week of participation in Serve Home service projects, nightly dinner, and evening programming, beginning with the Serve Home Kickoff on the evening of Sunday August 7th and ending with the Serve Home Celebration on the evening of Friday August 12th.
 

$150/pp*

*children below 6th grade are free

Details:

- all children (under 18) MUST be officially registered to participate alongside a participating parent or legal guardian

- responsible for your own transportation to and from work sites, dinner, and evening programming each day

- shower access not provided

- lunch not provided - everyone must bring their own lunch to the work site each day

- as a Day registrant, you are invited to join us for dinner and evening programming all 5 evenings (M-F), regardless of the number of days you are available to serve on work sites

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STUDENT GROUP - one week of participation in Serve Home service projects, nightly dinner, and evening programming, beginning with the Serve Home Kickoff on the evening of Sunday August 7th and ending with the Serve Home Celebration on the evening of Friday August 12th. With this type of participation, teens get to participate together as a group alongside adult chaperones (rather than signing up with their parents).

$150/pp

Details:
- for teens (students entering 6th grade through students entering college/workforce in Fall 2022) and accompanying adult chaperones (1 adult 25+ required for every 6 students)

- one youth leader (adult chaperone) must register the ENTIRE GROUP - once the leader begins their student group registration, they will get an email with instructions regarding how to register the remaining students and/or chaperones in the group

- adult chaperones are responsible for the transportation of their group for the whole week (to work sites, dinner, and home each day/evening)

How do I register my student/youth group for Serve Home 2022?

To register a student/youth group for Serve Home 2022, one adult chaperone (25+) who will serve as the point of contact for the group must begin the registration by visiting our "Summer 2022" page, filling out the required fields, and choosing the Student Group option, when prompted. After filling in your contact information, you will be prompted to register volunteers in your group - you must add yourself as a New Volunteer to be registered as an adult chaperone with the group (at this time, you will get an email with instructions for collecting all necessary registration information from each person in your group, to help streamline your group's registration. please check all of your inbox folders, including Spam, for our instructional emails.)

 

Then, you will be asked if you would like to add volunteers to your group - this is when you will add any students or additional adult chaperones from your group. You will manually register each volunteer from your group on their behalf (you can log back into your account and add more volunteers to your group at any time).

Can I register my whole family at the same time?

Yes! To register your family for Serve Home 2022 as Day Participants, one adult who will serve as the point of contact for your family must begin the registration by visiting our "Summer 2022" page, filling out the required fields, and choosing the option to Register As A Family, when prompted. After filling in your contact information, you will be prompted to register volunteers in your group (aka family) - you must add yourself as a New Volunteer to be registered as part of your family. Then, you will be asked if you would like to add volunteers to your group - this is when you will add any additional adults or children from your family.

NOTE: the only exception is if your family is registering and you also have teens registering as part of a student group - teens registering as part of a student group must be registered by their group leader, separate from the rest of your family.

Will the student groups be staying overnight?

Unfortunately, we had to remove the overnight option for this summer. That said, student groups are still invited and encouraged to participate together this August! The registration cost for student groups has been reduced to $150/pp and chaperones are responsible for coordinating transportation for their student group for the week - just like all other Serve Home participants. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we assure you that the student groups who have participated in past summers without staying overnight have had an amazing experience, and we hope you will join us for a full week of serving, sharing meals, and exploring God together! If you have any questions, please contact us at hello@serve-home.org.

Can I return to my account after registering for Serve Home?

Yes! Go to our "Summer 2022" page (serve-home.org/summer2022) and click the blue "Login" button towards the top right of the screen. Login using the email and password you used to register for your Serve Home account. Here you will be able to view your dashboard, see your registration progress, submit required forms, submit payments, and more. Contact us at hello@serve-home.org with any questions regarding accessing your account.

How many people from our church can register for Serve Home?

While there is technically no specific limit of how many people from one church can participate, registration for Serve Home operates on a first come, first served basis. We do have a maximum capacity and expect spots to fill up quickly, so the sooner you can register, the better!

Why does it cost money to participate in Serve Home?

The cost of registration supports the mission and operation of our nonprofit organization, and it covers the cost of necessary items for our summer mission such as meals, supplies, equipment, permits, materials, and more. That said, we work hard to keep the cost of participation as low as possible, with discounts for children below 6th grade and for adults serving in various leadership roles. We especially do not want money to hold anyone back from serving. If you are interested in learning more about our discounts or our scholarship funds, please contact us at hello@serve-home.org.

What if I can't afford to register for Serve Home?

There are several ways to offset the cost of registration, including individual fundraising, group or church fundraising, and scholarships.

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Individual Fundraising

Because Serve Home is a week of local mission, it is a perfect opportunity to invite friends and family members to partner with you and support you in this mission of loving your neighbors, whether by praying for you, encouraging you, or giving financial support. At the time of registration, you can choose to submit only the $50 initial deposit, rather than paying in full. This gives you time to reach out and invite friends and family to partner with you leading up to the deadline when registration is due in full (June 15th). After registering, we have several fundraising templates to provide you with that you can immediately start using to do your personal fundraising. Feel free to get creative - some of our past students have even sold candy bars to fundraise for Serve Home!

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Group Fundraising

As mentioned above, Serve Home is a great opportunity to invite people around you to partner with you in this mission. If you and your friends or family are all participating in Serve Home, you could even think about hosting a group fundraiser together to help cover the cost of your registrations! In the past, we have seen several car wash fundraisers in an effort to raise money for an entire group of folks participating in Serve Home. Perhaps your church or your group of friends would like to host something together! We will provide fundraising ideas and templates after you register, ready for your using.

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Scholarships

Limited scholarship funds are available. Contact us at hello@serve-home.org for more information.

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Discounts

All children below 6th grade (fall 2022) are free! (child discount automatically applied at checkout)

Adults who serve on one of our leadership teams (Site Leaders, Skilled Laborers, Meal Crew, Music Team) also register for free. Contact us for more information about serving as a leader this summer, or for more information about activating your discount if you are a current leader.

What if I fundraise over my registration fee?

Praise God! As a nonprofit organization (and a new, tiny one, at that!), Serve Home relies on fundraising and donations well beyond summer registration fees to operate and grow our local impact. We appreciate any and all donations from friends, family, & neighbors, and we are grateful for these partnerships in the community that allow us to continue living and serving on mission together!

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Donations can be made online here by visiting Ways To Give (serve-home.org/ways-to-give) or by mailing a check (written to "Serve Home Inc.") to Serve Home, 6 Meadowhill Ct, S Easton, MA 02375.

DINNER & EVENING PROGRAMMING

Who is invited to dinner each evening?

All Serve Home participants are invited to dinner each evening! 5 nights of dinner (M-F) are included in the cost of registration. Even if you cannot serve on work sites every day, as a Serve Home registrant you are welcome to join for dinner every evening. Dinner will begin at 6:15pm at an area church (TBA) and evening programming will begin afterwards at 7pm.

Where are dinner and evening programming held?

TBA! They will be held at an area church - stay tuned for more details.

What is evening programming?

At 7pm each evening (M-F) we gather all participants together for fellowship and fun! This includes a time of singing some worship songs led by our music team, a time of hearing from a speaker, and some time for discussion in small groups. While attending evening programming is not mandatory for participants, we highly encourage participation as this is the time when we all get to gather together, hear stories from the various work sites, encourage one another, learn from one another, and explore and experience God together. Evening programming is scheduled to go from 7pm-9pm, but typically ends before 9pm each evening.

Is evening programming appropriate for all ages?

Yes, evening programming is appropriate for all ages. We understand that young children may not have the attention span to be engaged for the entirety of evening programming or to stay up that late; parents of young children are more than welcome to bring small toys or coloring to keep young children engaged, and of course there is no obligation to stay to the end. That said, the content is designed to be approachable for elementary children and teens, while also being life-giving and fruitful for adults. We love the beauty of intergenerational worship, learning, and experiences - we hope everyone experiences that beauty through Serve Home, including through the evening programming.

What do I do if I have food allergies or restrictions?

When you register for Serve Home, there will be a place to let us know if you have any allergies or food restrictions. Our meal crew works hard to accommodate all allergies and food restrictions. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@serve-home.org so we can be sure to accommodate you.

What should I bring to dinner and evening programming?

Technically, you only need to bring yourself!

 

Some participants also like to bring:
- refillable water bottle

- a Bible

- a journal for taking notes during the speaker

Can I help serve on the Meal Crew for dinner?

Contact us at hello@serve-home.org and we would love to talk more!

Can I help serve on the Music Team for evening programming?

Contact us at hello@serve-home.org and we would love to talk more!

WEEK-OF DETAILS

Where are the work sites?

Exact locations TBA, but the work sites will be spread between the area of Brockton, Holbrook, Easton, Raynham, Taunton, East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, and Bridgewater. Participants will be assigned to their work sites and given more information at the Serve Home Kickoff at 7pm on August 7th!

What should I wear to the work sites?

Please wear clothes that you don't mind getting dirty, ripped, or stained. Though it may be hot outside, we highly recommend and prefer pants versus shorts, for safety and protection. Closed toed shoes are REQUIRED - you will not be allowed to serve on any work site without closed toed shoes (YES to sneakers or work boots, NO to crocs or flats). Our work sites vary, but may involve the use of power tools, carrying heavy items, clearing thorny brush, or using sharp or hazardous materials. Please dress appropriately for work.

Masks and safety goggles will be provided for any tasks that require them.

What should I bring with me to the work sites?

Requirements to bring to the work site each day:

- refillable water bottle

- lunch (ALL participants must bring lunch from home!)

- sun screen

- please eat breakfast at home before you come! we will be working hard, so fuel up :)

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Optional items to bring to the work site each day:

- work gloves

- sunglasses

- hat

- bug spray

- mask

- safety goggles

- phone - adults should have their phones with them in case of emergency; students are encouraged to unplug and leave their phones behind, though this is left to the discretion of parents or overnight chaperones

When and where do I shower after working on site?

For ALL participants - you will have time from 3:30pm - 6:15pm, in between work sites and dinner, to take a quick trip home to shower and get refreshed (yay local mission!). While we are not able to provide showers this summer, we understand that not everyone lives close enough to go home and come back each evening; perhaps you might coordinate with friends who live closer to shower at their home during this free time, OR even call the YMCA or a nearby gym and request use of their locker room showers for the week during your volunteer service week!

Is Serve Home 2022 weather permitting?

Rain or shine, baby! Pack a rain coat if storms seem likely as the week approaches.

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