On a hot Tuesday morning in August, members from Berea Baptist Church of Elizabeth City set up a table outside a local pharmacy to distribute Red Bags to aging adults picking up their prescriptions. You may ask: "What is a Red Bag?" "How could that help aging adults?"
Because medication mismanagement is the number one health risk to individuals 65+, Red Bags are part of NCBAM’s "Priority #1: Prevention" outreach. Red Bags safely store all medications in one place and are insulated to keep temperature-sensitive medications chilled during short trips. Red Bags are wonderful tools to help aging adults safely manage their medications.
Not only are Red Bags a great way to meet a physical need of aging adults, but they are also a great way to share the love of Christ. Each bag includes a leaflet that gives instructions for using the Red Bag and shares a simple gospel message. The church chose to include a soap gift bag along with information about their church and how to have a relationship with Jesus.
NCBAM partnered with Berea Baptist Church on their Red Bag outreach, initiated by Pastor Jason Wise and Senior Adult Ministry leader Pam Price as a ServeNC project. They believed it would serve their community and invigorate their Senior Adult ministry—post-COVID. Pam Price said, “This gave us an opportunity to reach our homebound members as well as the Meals on Wheels clients we serve.”
Berea Baptist Church saw the Red Bag distribution as a way to serve aging adults in their community that might be unchurched. Pam shared, "We met a great cross-section of the community during the ServeNC project—from seniors to young mothers with babies. There were great conversations with people who visited our table outside the pharmacy."
Written by Jay D. Westmoreland, CFP®, CAP®
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