Bartlett Community Care Collective
BC3 connects people in our community who need help with neighbors, police officers, or organizations who can help them.
In 2019, while meeting with the Bartlett Police Department, members of the leadership team at Village Church of Bartlett heard countless stories of police officers personally providing care, transportation, or financial support to members of our community when they were in need. These needs were sometimes as simple as providing a package of diapers to a new mom who was in a difficult financial position; to funding a few nights in a hotel room for a domestic abuse victim; to driving a recovering addict to meetings with a sponsor. Village Church experienced similar situations, being approached by members of our community for help with financial situations; keeping up with yard work after a spouse passed away; or seeking mental health treatment. While we knew the church and the police department could continue to meet many of those needs, we also wanted to create opportunities for our neighbors to help one another.
We formed Bartlett Community Care Collective (BC3) to fulfill the unmet needs that were (and continue to be) prevalent in the Bartlett community. Our goal is to unite the community to care for our neighbors in times of need. From organizing work weeks, to hosting food or gift drives, to creating one-to-one volunteer opportunities, BC3 provides opportunities for mutual care and ease of access to resources for our residents. We want to see our community flourish long-term by elevating volunteers to stand in the gap for their neighbors in the local community.
Logistically, BC3 is a 501c3 extension of the ministry of Village Church of Bartlett in collaboration with the Bartlett Police Department and the Village of Bartlett. BC3 is 100% funded by donations, and is supported by a donation fund that Village Church oversees and manages. This fund allows us to equip the Village of Bartlett and the Bartlett Police Department to serve with care. It also gives us resources to walk alongside Bartlett area residents experiencing difficult situations and help them in practical ways.