{"id":51,"date":"2010-11-03T10:24:51","date_gmt":"2010-11-03T20:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/officeforsocialministry.org\/?p=51"},"modified":"2016-09-21T00:29:35","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T00:29:35","slug":"gloria_zane_volunteer_outreach_coordinator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/officeforsocialministry.org\/gloria_zane_volunteer_outreach_coordinator\/","title":{"rendered":"Gloria Zane, Volunteer Outreach Coordinator"},"content":{"rendered":"

Holy Trinity, Oahu
\nhttp:\/\/www.holytrinitychurchhawaii.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Holy
Holy Trinity Church, Oahu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gloria Zane works upstairs in the Holy Trinity rectory. Quiet and cool, her office is as neat as a pin. She is totally prepared for our interview with meticulous documentation about the parish, her background, and a list of current programs and people that are served by the parish Outreach Ministry. Although she is a volunteer, she came to Holy Trinity with a breadth of experience as a retired Hawaii State Judiciary social worker with skills to help individuals and families navigate healthcare and social service systems.\u00a0 Despite a professional and reserved exterior, she speaks with depth and caring, \u201cI\u2019m a career social worker, but working in the parish, there is a spiritual component that you can never share in government service. Whether it is families in need of financial assistance, or advice in caring for an elderly parent\u2026I assess their situation, and try to minister to their spiritual and practical needs. This may mean just listening to their frustrations, and then discussing services that might help them.\u201d She pauses, \u201cReally, this work feeds my soul. It touches me personally because of the depth of their gratitude\u2026you can see it in their eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Volunteer
Volunteer run Thrift Store<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Holy Trinity is located in the affluent area of Hawaii Kai, the parish finds ways to utilize its resources to reach outside the community, and help others.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t have our own pantry, but our parish donates food to St. Patrick\u2019s food pantry as well as donating food certificates purchased through the Office for Social Ministry. We have wonderful volunteers that maintain a thrift shop, and we also provide financial assistance to needy individuals and families regardless of their faith, helping with rent, utilities, school clothing and medical needs. \u201d Gloria explains further that the parish had received a grant from the Office for Social Ministry, \u201cI tend to be really strict. Because of our grant and parish donations, we are able to help with financial assistance in many cases, for those people in need. But there are those who \u201cwork the system\u201d as well.\u00a0 OSM set us up with Charity Check, an online way to check the amount of benefits people receive. I feel responsible to be a good steward of these funds, so as hard as it is, sometimes I have to say no.\u201d<\/p>\n