Members of the IMSB community have volunteered to serve in many wonderful ways. A new service opportunity is now in development: a Care Team that will tend to the needs of our own sangha members. The Team will consist of volunteers willing to provide care to their sangha peers who need practical support—be it a ride to the doctor’s office, a home visit when someone is sick or recovering from surgery, or other simple tasks.

How It Works

Providing Care
Any sangha member can volunteer for the Care Team. Simply fill out a Care Team Volunteer Registration Form available on the information table at the weekly Tuesday night sits. The form gives volunteers an opportunity to state how they might best be of service. Options on the form include activities such as giving car rides, cooking, walking a dog, buying groceries, or simply providing companionship. A member of the Care Committee will enter the volunteer’s data from the form into our database, which will facilitate matching volunteers with a sangha member in need. Volunteers who provide transportation services are asked to submit a copy of their driver’s license and auto insurance policy, which must be current and valid.

In the near future, IMSB intends to offer a day of training to all volunteers. Training will include application of Buddhist teachings, exploring the cultivation of compassion through service, and an examination of the trainee’s own relationship to caring, suffering, and service.

Requesting Care
Any sangha member can request short-term or emergency services by directly contacting the Care Committee. Contact can be made by placing a written request (with name and telephone number) in the Metta box, or by contacting