Ebenezer Senior Living’s origins lie with a faith-based community of immigrants. Today, our mission continues to reflect the values of our founders – to care for the underserved and support the seniors who reside here. Our residents come from a wide variety of religious backgrounds, and both our community members and staff are always looking for opportunities to help and serve those around them. Here are a few of the reasons why service can be worthwhile and how you can help as a senior.

Why Is Service Important?

Besides just being a nice thing to do, helping others also ends up beneficial to yourself in the long run. You’ll learn more about the world and people around you while also discovering new things about yourself – what you like, what you’re good at, and how you view your environment. Even if you wonder how effective you’ll be or if you aren’t as committed as other people, you’re making a difference for at least one person, and you’re putting in the effort to go out of your way to help. It’s not easy to make the choice to get involved, but showing up and really being there is cause for commendation.

How Can You Help?

There are plenty of service opportunities out there available for seniors, even if they might not seem obvious at first glance.

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• Get out of your comfort zone. While you may feel inclined to stick with what you know, it’s important to broaden your horizons. Start by attending a service for a religious denomination other than your own, either by yourself or with a friend who belongs to that faith. Faith-based senior living communities like Ebenezer often offer a wide range of easily accessible services for many different denominations. Then see if there are any ways you can help out. Can you pass out programs? Greet people at the door? Help set up for an after-service meal? Even if it’s just something small, your assistance is sure to be welcomed.


• Be creative. Want to help out in a soup kitchen, but can’t deal with the heat? See if you can help organize plates and utensils. Not feeling up to running a 10k for charity? Volunteer to pass out water. If there isn’t already a role for something, see if you can create one. Most likely, event or service organizers will be grateful for any help they can get. If it turns out there isn’t anything available, that’s fine too – you can still enjoy the event as a spectator.


• Make it a regular practice. “Regular” doesn’t have to mean daily or even weekly. If you can attend a fundraiser or charity event monthly or even less frequently, that’s better than nothing. Make sure to stay up-to-date by checking with service leaders for calendars of upcoming events. Some may even be willing to check in with you personally.

We hope that this helped explain the importance of service and gave you some ideas for how you can serve your community. Ebenezer Senior Living is blessed to act as an ever-growing family of a variety of denominations. For more information on how you can give back to your community, check out our blog.