The purpose of the Giving and Receiving program is to organize help for participating Sangha members who require assistance, especially when confronting difficulties due to illness and/or the aging process.

Our intention is to create an easy way to request and/or offer assistance—and anyone interested is welcome to volunteer. We are putting our practice into practice and cultivating compassion for others and ourselves.These are some of the offerings and types of assistance we thought would be helpful to share, depending on the availability of volunteers:

Building connections as Dharma Friends — Dharma friends getting together to walk, have tea, listen to music, read a story, share a poem, sit Zazen or other activities that strengthen the spirit of a welcoming and supportive Sangha.

Food and meals — Sangha members cook meals from their own kitchens and/or coordinate meal offerings through Meal Train and the Ceres Project, as needed.

Transportation — Sangha members help each other connect with rides to Stone Creek, or to community resources, such as the Sebastopol Senior Center for other needs, or provide a ride depending on the particular situation.

Communication — Sangha members assist in coordinating help by using websites where people share updates such as CaringBridge, Lots of Helping Hands and Share the Care.

How Do I Get Involved?

To request assistance or become a volunteer, contact Edmée Danan at edmeedanan@comcast.net. Edmée will work with Sangha members seeking support and volunteers to provide care. To preserve confidentiality, the person in need will decide what personal information should be disclosed and designate one point person in their personal support system and one at Stone Creek.

Please note that all volunteers participating in this program are acting as friends, rather than providing professional support of any kind.