MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — One Monongalia County church and its congregation is using its resources to help those who are less fortunate through service.

The Morgantown Church of Christ has partnered with The Human Animal Bond, a nonprofit, on a farmhouse renovation project. Officials from The Human Animal Bond said that the farm was left to them by the late Pat Keith, a social worker whose passion was for conservation and agriculture as well as women and children’s issues.

Currently, the nonprofit is working with WVU on a project focused on supporting teenagers aging out of state wardship as they enter college life.

“What we hope to do is get young people aging out a foster care, there about 6,000 kids in foster care in West Virginia. Of those, one and five winds up homeless within the first few year’s, only 3% going to pursue a college education,” Jean Meade, the founder of the nonprofit The Humans Animal Bond, said. “Research has shown that children that have gone through abusive situations, are just, had a hard luck tend to respond better to animals than they do people, and in working with some of the people in the area, the concept of leaving the state wardship and moving directly into the college environment and then to university housing and being thrown in with kids that I’ve had a much more privilege background can be a tough transition.”

Meade also said that being able to give a few young people who aged out the opportunity to work on a farm, learn to grow and prepare food, interact with animals and be mentored will help them get started in life, adding that the WVU Center for Civic Engagement has been heavily involved with the nonprofit doing a lot of background work. According to her, a few of the young people will be able to live on the farm while attending college at WVU.

“I love that we’re able to come together to work on this,” Brad Schrum, the minister of Morgantown Church of Christ, said. “We have people from all different backgrounds, all different skill levels, and we got some folks who really know what they’re doing.”

Minster Schrum also said that through their We Are The Sermon (WATS) Sunday program they take a day to go out and serve the community, spreading out to different work sites. They believe that the word of God is meant to be taught, talked about and lived.

“People always think about money a lot. I mean, yeah does money going to be getting some supplies in the shovels, getting that the hose, and all that stuff, yeah. But time is something very precious that you can’t really get back much,” Blaise Robson, a member of the Morgantown Church of Christ, said. “Like, this is what the whole faith is all about, serving the poor, helping those in need, and then, if one of us are lacking, that means all of us are lacking so we’re all connected. And then, we should treat each other like we are connected because the way I treat you is reflected in how I treat myself.”

Robson said that just seeing the work that he has done, even if it is only for a few hours, can completely change someone’s world for them. He also said that is why he, the members of the church and other volunteers work on the projects.

Schrum said, “You could find us online at www.morgantown.church and it’s probably the best way to get in contact with us our email and phone number and all that’s on there as well as our service times and so anybody who wants to get connected and who wants to help us serve a community or who has Anita and we would love to be in contact.”

Anyone can find more information about the church and ways to join in and volunteer their time with their service projects.