In 2013 LCS decided to focus on the theme “Together We Can,”
emphasizing the importance of our donors and volunteers. Without the hard work and dedication of our
supporters, our small staff would never have been able to assist an estimated
100,000 people with food and housing for the second year in a row!
This year we added a seventeenth
food program! The new monthly food distribution, (formerly known as a
Grocery Club) titled Haven of Caring, takes place at Bethel African Methodist
Episcopal Church. This partnership with Bethel AME largely serves the residents
of the Beautiful Gate Outreach Center located behind the church. Together LCS and Bethel AME are now
able to help provide more for basic needs of our community.
In a few short months this year, LCS added three new Home
Repair Specialists to our Home Repair program. With six trained handymen now
available to assist senior citizens and the disabled with small home repair,
we’re on track to complete 95 repairs this year – a 67% increase over last
year!
The 22nd Annual Hunger Walk Run also saw new
community engagement when we added online registration software which allowed
participants to create their own fundraising pages and use social networking
and email to ask their friends and families for support. With collecting sponsorships easier than
ever, we saw a rise in both the number of people who collected sponsorships
(137 in 2012 and 151 in 2013) and the average amount brought in per participant
($105.48 in 2012 and $126.24 in 2013). Records were set in youth, adult, and
church fundraising.
Looking forward to 2014, LCS will be moving into a new
headquarters. St. Stephen’s is selling our current building, necessitating the
move, but the growth we’ve experiences in both need and support make this the
perfect time for change. We’re excited about the prospect of merging our staff
under one roof!
-Prepared by Steve Tindall
