FAITH WORKS is a partnership between MEOC and the faith community.  MEOC is guided by the philosophy of asset based community development which focuses on a region’s strengths and resources rather than its deficits in organizing those assets in service to others.  The faith community has long been and continues to be a major asset to MEOC and those we serve.  Thousands of frail, low income older persons benefit from this natural partnership which combines MEOC’s commitment to serve older persons in the greatest economic or social need with the commitment of churches and people of faith to serve “the least of these.”  Some of the major areas in which this partnership works are MEOC’s Emergency Fuel Fund for the Elderly, which helps older persons pay electric bills and purchase fuel in winter;  Sharing Our Daily Bread, which sponsors older persons in need of home delivered meals;  Support for Family Caregivers using space provided by places of worship for community group respite centers and adult day health care; MEOC’s Mountain Laurel Cancer Support and Resource Center offering financial support for travel for treatment, a card ministry and volunteering; and Home Repairs/Modifications, provided by local churches as well as mission teams, to make the homes of older persons safe, warm, dry and accessible.  Faith congregations are a repository of all kinds of good works, so individual volunteering takes many forms, including friendly visitors, a home cooked meal on the weekend, someone to accompany an older person to a doctor’s appointment, or someone to carry in wood or coal.  Faith Works results are substantial, measurable, often lifesaving and always life-enhancing. Without this partnership, thousands in need would go un-served and many would no longer live at home in the mountains of Appalachia where they wish to live and die.