The Helping Hand Fund has been quietly helping families in the Flora area since 1977.

It was conceived, organized, and is being carried out by the Beta Alpha (Flora) chapter of Psi Iota Xi, a philanthropic sorority.

From the very beginning, the special Psi Ote fund has helped local people who are down on their luck and need a helping hand. Contributing factors to their need might be loss of employment, severe illness, family tragedy, the economy, etc.

For many in the Flora area, the face of the Helping Hand Fund is Judy Ayres. She has been helping with or in charge of the fund since 1981. If someone temporarily needs assistance with a utility bill, rent, fuel, or medical expense, they can start with Judy. She said after a quick assessment, the Helping Hand Fund may offer all or partial assistance, or the people may be referred to another helping source, such as the township trustee.

Judy said the same family can only be assisted by the Helping Hand Fund a couple times a year in order to help more families and not deplete the funds.

"In the beginning we helped people with food and clothing, but now the Food Pantry and Thrift Shop can help with those needs," she said.

Judy also pointed out that more local churches are now helping out, too. She explained that the amount of a utility bill might be shared by Helping Hand and one or two churches.

Pat Calhoun, who writes the checks for Helping Hand, added that two churches donate regularly to the fund, through their women's groups.

"No money is given out directly," Judy said. "We make arrangements to pay the bills."

"Sometimes I won't get a phone call in a month, then maybe I'll get four or five a month," she continued.

Judy estimates that an average of $2,000 a year is expended from Helping Hand for utility payments (Flora Utilities and NIPSCO), rent, car, and medical expenses.

Miriam Robeson, chapter treasurer, said sometimes there are larger, specific needs in the community, and the Psi Ote membership votes on helping with those expenses.

Psi Ote president Teresa McGill, in a recent letter to businesses, gave some examples of that extra help given.

"The Helping Hand Fund provides special medical equipment to families so that their lives may be a little easier when a loved one is ill or disabled," she wrote. "Some of the things we've helped purchase include a handicappedconverted van for a little girl, a special chair for a homebound lady, a customized hospital bed for a disabled youth, and medical equipment for several families. We have helped provide fuel for families forced to travel back and forth to doctors and hospitals to care for sick or injured loved ones."

Teresa said another benefit of the Helping Hand Fund is a hospital equipment lending bank. Crutches, wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, and other medical equipment are loaned at no cost.

Miriam said the sorority commits part of its annual budget to the Helping Hand Fund, and with increased need, the fund sometimes has to be supplemented by the chapter's umbrella Philanthropic Fund. This larger fund is also used for other charitable endeavors, such as scholarships, Artist-in Residence program at Carroll Elementary School, Flora Library Summer Reading Program, etc.

Miriam said the total amount expended from the Helping Hand Fund in 2006-2007 was $6,800, and the amount expended in 2007-2008 was $3,800. She said records going back to 1991 show that a total of $47,849 has been spent from that year to the present through the Helping Hand Fund.

"We anticipate that requests for assistance will reach an alltime high this year," Teresa said.

The sorority used to have annual community donation drives for the Helping Hand Fund, but those have not been held in recent years.

Silent Auction

This year the sorority is having a silent auction to benefit the Helping Hand Fund. It will be held during Flora's Moonlight Madness event, 4 to 10 p.m. this Saturday. Items for the auction will be in the former Dime Store building. There is still time to donate items by calling 574-967-4958 or 574-859-4020. Leave a message with a name, phone number, and donated item.

Monetary donations to the Helping Hand Fund can be sent to Psi Iota Xi, P. O. Box 84, Flora, IN 46929.

Times have changed, Judy said, but there have always been needs in the community. She said Psi Otes Vernabell Miller and Linda Bishop Shambaugh saw these needs when they started the Helping Hand Fund in the late '70s.

Then and now, the Psi Ote role has been the same.

"When we see a need in the community, we try to meet it," Pat said.