Meals on Wheels
At IM Houston, we believe when our vulnerable neighbors are in need of comfort and a meal – we provide for them.
IM Houston delivers over 1.5 million Meals every year, along with warm smiles to isolated seniors in need. Thanks to our Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston and Galveston County program, homebound seniors may receive home-delivered lunch meals. We deliver to an average of over 4,000 homebound seniors daily.
Over 97% of our seniors tell us the program helps them maintain or improve their health, and remain independent in their own homes. Seniors with pets may sign up for the Animeals program, to receive free supplemental pet food.
We are able to provide this service through a combination of government grants and private contributions. Our partners include the Harris County Area Agency on Aging, Texas Health and Human Services, Texas Department of Agriculture, and the Texas Veterans Commission.
Refugee Services
We believe when we see those in need of community and a sense of belonging – we welcome them. At IM Houston’s Refugee Services, we work to help newcomers become neighbors and find comfort in their new surroundings. We connect them to education, job development, health services, and place these new Houstonians on the path to citizenship and self-sufficiency. In the past 30 years, IM Refugee Services has served refugees from over 40 countries.
IM Refugee Services department, in conjunction with the U.S. State Department and Episcopal Migration Ministries, resettles legal refugees fleeing their homeland in fear of political, social or religious persecution. IM Houston helps refugees from around the world start new lives in America. Over 80% of the clients we serve are self-sufficient, productive members of the community within 6-12 months.
Today, there are an estimated 35.3 million refugees in the world, over half of whom are children. Each year, thousands of these refugee families are served by IM.
In the fall of 2021, the United States experienced the greatest influx of refugees in its history when Kabul fell. Thousands of Afghans, many of whom had been working with American troops, fled in fear for their lives. IM Houston has welcomed and is working with more Afghans than any other local agency.
Volunteer Houston
We believe when those around us are in need of help – we serve them.
IM helping my community, IM volunteering. IM Houston’s Volunteer Houston program is home base for connecting thousands of volunteers with community needs, and serves as a hub to deploy volunteers during natural disasters. This area is a resource for all Houstonians ready to make a continuing and lasting impact on their community through organized service and leadership.
Our vision is to inspire volunteers of all generations and to develop future generations of servant leaders through active community service, civic engagement, service learning and leadership development experiences. Click here to visit Volunteer Houston.
Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships
As one of Houston’s oldest interfaith service organizations in Houston, IM Houston’s interreligious engagement stands at the heart of our mission. The Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships (IRCP) program brings diverse groups together for dialogue and service to usher in a more connected community, build bridges of understanding, and strengthen the fabric of our city.
Our initiatives—such as The Dialogue Project, Faith in Our City, House of Worship and Cultural Site Tours, IMpower Women’s Initiative, and iLead Youth Engagement Program—provide opportunities:
- To share information about our communities, reduce stereotypes and generalizations, and foster respect through active listening, dialogue and service.
- To cultivate religious and cultural literacy through educational resources.
- To convene and connect with houses of worship and community groups to deepen bonds, foster hope, and create goodwill in our community.
- To engage people in IM Houston’s work.
Together, we are creating a city where people of all backgrounds connect, learn, and serve side by side.
Learn More About IRCP Programs
Dialogue Project
our City Programs
Dialogue Project
Join interactive and engaging vital conversations, dialogues, and community events that explore societal issues, foster interreligious and cultural understanding, and celebrate our community’s diverse tapestry.
One of our department’s signature programs, The Dialogue Project, creates safe, meaningful spaces for conversations that are often the catalyst for inspiration and change. Inspired by the decades-long friendship between the beloved Three Amigos – Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, Rev. William A. Lawson, and Rabbi Samuel E. Karff, The Dialogue Project focuses on their shared commitment to justice and more united community through dialogue and action.
our City Programs
Experience the beauty of world religions in Greater Houston through our Brigitte and Bashar Kalai Plaza of Respect “Welcome to Our House” video series, annual Gershenson Lecture on religion, peace, and ethics, interfaith dialogues, faith leader workshops, and immersion learning experiences.
Click here to see the Welcome to our House videos on YouTube.
Explore the cultural and religious diversity of Greater Houston through specially designed house of worship tours for student, corporate, faith, and community groups. Visit some of our community’s historical cultural sites.
Interested in visiting a House of Worship? Contact IM Houston to request more information today!
Support the critical work of IM Houston and network with diverse groups of women through cultural experiences, service projects, socials and our IMpower Lecture Program.
. In the past two years, we visited The Gandhi Museum, The Children’s Museum, and The Eldorado Ballroom. We celebrated religious holidays with each other. We heard from national and local speakers on an array of motivating topics. We have raised more than $200,000 for IM since its inception in 2018.
Learn More About Our Upcoming IMpower Lecture
IM Houston’s iLead Youth Engagement Program inspires, educates, and connects middle and high school students in a unique learning and service opportunity to build stronger interpersonal relationships, communication skills, and networking abilities across diverse faith and cultural backgrounds.
iLead programs take place over several months or as part of a day long experience to explore Houston’s diversity, learn what allyship means, and make a difference through volunteerism and service through interactive, innovative, and fun programming. With the support of sponsors, including CITGO Petroleum Corporation, Lisa and John Walker, and the Rabbi Samuel E. Karff Memorial Fund, our iLead Youth Engagement Program empowers tomorrow’s leaders.
Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships Volunteer and Engagement Opportunities.
Help Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships (IRCP) create a more caring, connected community through public events, tours of houses of worship and cultural sites, online educational resources, vital conversations, dinner dialogues, and other opportunities to unite people in dialogue, service, and collaboration.
- Volunteer Opportunities:
- Help set up, breakdown, greet guests, and register people at events.
- Help update lists (educators, youth directors, faith leaders, community leaders, elected officials, organizations, and schools).
- Lend us your administrative support in our office.
- Lend us your facilities and organizational skills.
- Lend us your photography or videography skills for our events.
- Lend us your technical skills.
- Be a trained facilitator for tours of houses of worship and cultural sites.
- Community Engagement Opportunities:
- Invite us to speak at a company lunch & learn, adult education class, community program, or houses of worship.
- Support community tabling events promoting IRCP and IM Houston resources and programs.
- Host a group discussion using our virtual educational resources.
- Arrange your own faith, community, school, or company to participate in one of our tours of houses of worship.
- Be a part of a focus group to help us review our online educational resources.
- Be a part of our advocacy team calling for funding for Meals on Wheels and other funding for IM Houston.
- Sign up to be on our mailing list to receive our program invitations.
- Introduce us to others you think would be interested in our work.
- Follow IM Houston on social media and share our posts.
For more information, email Gevetta “Jet” Phillips at gphillips@imgh.org.
