They were the vanguard of a new 10-week effort to pair an ever-increasing number of Philadelphians falling on hard times with agencies that might be able to help them.

But Sigrid E. Lundby, Brian K. Sims and Paul Kazaras realized early on that "Get Help Now, Pennsylvania," the program they had volunteered for, was so new that they might spend their five hours in Room 112 of Drexel University's Earle Mack School of Law with only one another to talk to.

Less than an hour before and two floors above, U.S. Circuit Court Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, the governor's wife, had, as she put it, "figuratively cut the ribbon" launching the statewide initiative to provide financial and legal help to Pennsylvanians in distress.

Rendell said the program, announced last month, offers consumers in foreclosure, bankruptcy and other difficulties face-to-face sessions with lawyers, bankers and other professionals at Drexel and 19 other locations around the state from 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays during the next two months.

Volunteers will meet with those seeking help and provide information on the right place to turn.

"This is a sustainable, focused effort," Rendell said, which will culminate Sept. 11 in what is being described as a national day of service.

Though a toll-free telephone number (888-799-4557) and Web site (http://www.pa.gov/portal/server.pt/community/taxes___finances/3065/get_help_now_pa/551869) are available for the target audience, Lundby, a senior portfolio manager for BNY Mellon Wealth Management, expressed concern that word about the program might not get to all in need.

She thought of the man who knocks at her front door in Mount Airy, seeking work to earn a few dollars. Lately, as the economy has slipped deeper into the crevasse, she said, he's begun to look shabbier and more desperate.

"How would someone like that find out about this program?" Lundby asked. "He doesn't read the paper or have a phone, and certainly doesn't has access to the Internet. Many people still don't use computers. We need to get the word out."

Sims agreed. As Philadelphia Bar Association staff counsel for policy and planning, he is responsible for coordinating 80 to 120 volunteers - lawyers and paralegals mostly - who have "jumped on board."

"We asked each of the nine sections of the bar association to sponsor a week," Sims said. "They were all excited to do it."

The experience dealing with people is especially good for newly minted lawyers, he said: "While they all have different specialties, the information they will be providing is second nature to them, but it will be shared with those for whom it is not."

Sims and Kazaras, the bar association's assistant executive director, already volunteer with the city's successful year-old mortgage-foreclosure diversion program.

"We find that many lawyers want to volunteer, but don't have a lot of time to do it," Kazaras said. "Programs such as these not only require just a few hours a week but, more importantly, make knowledge available to those who don't usually have access to that kind of knowledge."

The legal process can be confusing and scary, "especially because the language of the law is so threatening," Kazaras said. "There is so much available to help people. Our job is to show them where to find exactly what they need."

A major barrier to providing help is, well, the people.

"People who suddenly find themselves facing foreclosure or bankruptcy often feel ashamed," Kazaras said. "It is counterintuitive to someone who has worked all of their lives to lose their jobs or their houses."

Lundby noted, "It's human nature. And that is always hard to change."

Contact real estate writer Alan J. Heavens at 215-854-2472 or aheavens@phillynews.com.