Thursday, October 31, 2013

The Great Pumpkin - From Ramsey's Farm

 A Huge Thank You to Ramsey's Farms for providing us with pumpkins to hand out at our weekly produce distribution this week (Wednesday.) A great seasonal treat for our families to receive and we provided recipes and instructions on how to cook the pumpkins. They also provided us with carving pumpkins to hand out as well.


Unloading the pumpkins
Pumpkins are stacked up for distribution


Carving Pumpkins, pumpkins to cook with, they had it all!
An unexpected treat for our recipients.
Thank You Ramsey's Farm!


   Check out Ramey's Farm for all of the treats and fun they have planned! Click Here.
Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

Photos courtesy: Jeff Batt

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

2013 Governor's Outstanding Volunteeer Awards LCS Nominee - Richard Porto

This year LCS nominated Richard Porto of Wilmington as our Outstanding Volunteer for the 2013 Governor's Awards.  We had one of our own, Don Schaeffer win one of the coveted spots last year, and so chances of having a repeat two years in a row were tight.  I was contacted by the folks at the Governor's Awards and told it was a very tough decision making process, and that they had lots of entries and unfortunately Richard did not make it. Regardless they loved his story, and assured me that is just as hard for them to pick winners as it is for us to choose a nominee. But we wanted to put Richards story out there because we love Richard, like we love all of our volunteers.

Richard striking a pose at the 22nd Annual Walk/Run on Sept. 21st.
When choosing a volunteer as a nominee for the Governor's Awards, you are not trying to pick a "favorite" volunteer or the "best" volunteer, because we have so many of those. We are trying to pick someone to represent all of us. As I said last year to Don, you are there to "Take one for the team!" We are trying to select a representative for LCS and again, even that is no easy task. It's hard to pick someone, as you never like to be accused of playing favorites. But if we want to get some attention on the state level, someone... we must choose.


Richard Porto came to us after he received aid in the form of a down payment on an apartment after a foreclosure on his house and food for him and his wife. This aide helped them to get back on their feet and he said he wanted to give back to the agency that helped  him out so much.  I asked him to describe how he feels when he volunteers here at LCS and he said "I love the people, the job, the camaraderie - and that it's hard to put into words - It's that warm fuzzy glow you get when working here." 
Richard packing bags at the St. Stephen's pantry.
Richard has been a volunteer that likes variety! Out of the various food distribution locations we have which include stationary pantries, mobile pantries, clothing distribution, and produce distribution; there is always this familiar face at many of the locations. Richard has been working at our St. Stephen's Pantry, Zion Lutheran Church Pantry, Hope Lutheran Church Mobile Pantry, Shiloh Baptist Church Mobile Pantry, Clothing  Distribution and so much more!

Richard helps to unload trucks, pack bags, stock shelves...basically anything and everything we need. He fills in for me when I need folks at various sites while others are on vacation. Basically, Richard is someone we can call on at anytime and know we will get his help. Volunteers like this are a rare breed and we are ever so grateful to have someone like Richard with us.

Richard doing what he does best, working and smiling!
Richard began working with us in 2005 and since then he has put in over 4,000 hours of volunteer work, averaging about 400 hours a year. Richard is very committed to the work he does here and more important he BELIEVES in it and that what he is doing is truly making a difference in the world.

One of Richards hallmarks is that he always ends every conversation in person or on the phone by reminding you to have a "Very Blessed Day."

We want Richard to know how Blessed we are to have him here with us at LCS, that he is our winner, and that we hope he continues to be with us for years to come.

Thank you Richard for all that you do, and.... Have a Very Blessed Day!

Monday, October 28, 2013

Helping SNAP Recipients Prepare for November 1st Benefit Changes

Beginning on November 1st SNAP (food stamps) recipients will see a decrease in their benefits. To find out how this will affect our clients, or if you receive food stamps and want to know how you can prepare for the changes, click here to read more.


Posted by Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, on October 28, 2013 at 11:00 AM - See more at: http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/10/28/helping-snap-recipients-prepare-for-november-1st-benefit-changes/#sthash.kgVraosu.dpuf
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients will see their monthly benefits decrease beginning on November 1st. As USDA’s top official in charge of the program, I want to ensure that SNAP recipients know that this change is coming and understand what it means for you and your families.
- See more at: http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/10/28/helping-snap-recipients-prepare-for-november-1st-benefit-changes/#sthash.kgVraosu.dpuf
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients will see their monthly benefits decrease beginning on November 1st. As USDA’s top official in charge of the program, I want to ensure that SNAP recipients know that this change is coming and understand what it means for you and your families.
- See more at: http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/10/28/helping-snap-recipients-prepare-for-november-1st-benefit-changes/#sthash.kgVraosu.dpuf
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients will see their monthly benefits decrease beginning on November 1st. As USDA’s top official in charge of the program, I want to ensure that SNAP recipients know that this change is coming and understand what it means for you and your families.
- See more at: http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/10/28/helping-snap-recipients-prepare-for-november-1st-benefit-changes/#sthash.kgVraosu.dpuf

Friday, October 18, 2013

2013 Walk Run Pictorial Video




A lovely pictorial video from our 2013 Walk/Run held on September 21 at Rockford Park in Wilmington. Special thanks to staff member Heather Teig for putting this beautiful video together.
To see the rest of LCS's video's visit us on Youtube by clicking on the YouTube logo by scrolling down on the right hand side of the screen.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Call to Action - Food Drives Needed Now!


Attention devoted volunteers and contributors of LCS...

We are experiencing a temporary but critical supply problem at St. Stephen’s pantry and we would like your help. Put another way, we are almost out of food, and we won’t get any deliveries till next week. We are very concerned that if we don’t get more food soon, we may have to turn people away.  Would you be willing to help by putting out the word that we need folks to donate food or conduct food drives? Hopefully, we’ll then have something on our shelves when hungry people come to us.

We understand that there is a good supply of canned fruit and beans, but need these things right away:

·       Canned meat (tuna, stew, pasta with meat, etc.)
Our USDA Room as of October 16, 2013.
·       Peanut butter
·       Soup
·       Crackers
·       Dry pasta
·       Baby food
·       Vegetables (especially green)

Help from your church would be much appreciated. Remember also that government cuts of food stamps are set to take place November 1, 2013, and that as a result, we expect demand to accelerate. Donated food is more and more important to us. It helps fill the gaps presented by deliveries from our main sources, the Food Bank of Delaware and the USDA.

Thank you. If you have questions, feel free to call or email me.  To arrange to drop off food, contact Aaron Ballet on extension 104. Also, we have a helpful guidebook about how to conduct a food drive that is available by contacting Cher Frampton, LCS Volunteer Coordinator, 302-654-8886, on extension 107. Or follow this LINK to get a copy of the food drive kit on line.
 

www.facebook.com/lcsde


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Greater Power


Every month we have a pastor/reverend from a different church write us a new and inspirational prayer to offer the recipients of our food services.  We place a copy of this prayer into each of the grocery bags we hand out. We feel that most who come to us are having a pretty rough time and could use some comforting words to help them through...every little bit helps.

Here is October's...




Gracious Lord,

The eyes of all look to You and You satisfy our needs.  Please bless this food for our living and grant Your strength and health to all of Your precious children.  Send us Your love and peace in these days as we pray this in the name of our Savior Jesus. 

Amen.

Pastor Jeremy Loesch
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church        [10/13]

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

News You Can Use -Special Edition Walk/Run 2013


From Lutheran Community Services                  November 2013

Editors: This information is prepared for church newsletter editors, secretaries and pastors. Your help in getting the word out is appreciated and will help LCS achieve its mission of “Sharing God’s blessings by helping others in need.” Comments about timing or content are welcome. Contact & Prepared by Steve Tindall (stindall@lcsde.org). 302 654 8886.



Walk Run Results

We had a fantastic annual Hunger Walk Run on September 21 in Rockford Park. Altogether, this year’s Hunger Walk Run raised $46,172 – a little short of our $50,000 goal, but definitely an outstanding showing that ranks right up there with our best years. This excellent result is due to a great deal of enthusiasm from the participants, the staff at LCS and the Walk Run Committee. If you are interested in working on next year’s Hunger Walk Run, contact Steve Tindall at 654 8886 x105 or stindall@lcsde.org.

Here are the winners.  The church that raised the most was Grace Lutheran ($11,565 – a new record for a church), followed by St. Marks ($10,212 – more than double its previous best), and Faith ($2,620).  The church with the most participants was St. Marks (64), followed by Grace (31), and St. Philips (29).  The church with the highest percentage of its congregation participating was St. Marks (13.02%), followed by Zion (9.62%) and St. Philips (9.21%).

Individual fundraisers broke records! The Adult winner was Jan Hufnal from Grace who raised $4,500, a record for an adult. Then Daniel Luettgen, a youth from Grace, raised $2,263, a record for a youth! This year’s success is attributed to several things. First, the enthusiasm of the fundraisers – the people who went out and got sponsorships for their participation. Second, we believe that much of the success stems from the ease of online registration and fundraising. Lots of people used it this year and from all reports they enjoyed its simplicity and accuracy.

Thrivent was once again the lead sponsor, committing $6400 to the total raised, which was a wonderful donation. They also offered to match each item brought to the LCS Food Drive at the Walk Run, which totaled an additional $350. Thank you Thrivent Financial.

All of the funds raised by the Hunger Walk Run will go toward LCS’s Emergency Food Programs. We assemble our food budget from many different sources. What we raise from the Walk Run is the single largest source of funds for the food programs. Without it, we would have a great deal of trouble meeting the strong demand for emergency food help from people in need in our community.
 _____________________________________________________________________________

 From the Desk of Cher Frampton - Volunteer Coordinator LCS

We can never emphasize enough the importance of our volunteers and how much they mean to our organization. In fact, we would not have an organization without them. They are our most valuable asset, and without them we could not operate any of our many operations at all of the various locations that graciously host us.

We also need our contributors and sponsors, for we also need substance (money & goods) to purchase the food that we give out to our clients every day. Without them, we also would not exist. Which is what makes an event like the LCS Walk/Run so special.
It's one of the few times where we have volunteers, contributors, clients, sponsors, staff, churches...everyone, joining together and making one event run smoothly, ensuring everyone is having a good time and that everything is taken care of. It shows what kind of a community we are and what kind of moral character we are all made of. How proud we all should be!

We would like to thank the following who participated that day in helping to set up and run the event and clean up. IF I MISSED A NAME, please let me know! These kind of events have a way of getting helpers in through all kinds of means official and otherwise. So, please, let me know so I can add you to the list! :)

 

 Our
Volunteers: 

Olive Barton
Jeff  Batt
Brenda Bayard
Mark Cilento
Courtney Colier-Beyer
Joe Duker
Larry Friday
Mike Goyda
                                                    Nancy Goyda
                      
Mark Gunderson
Donna Harris
George Hood
Mark Hopkins
Karrah Johnston
Josh Kelly
Leonard Kojro
Chuck Landry
Linda Lange
Bill Lindsey
Richard Porto
 
 
 
Jon Roth
Kyle Schuldt
Tamara Siburg
Roy Sullivan
Harry Walker
Conrad Warren 
Sam Weedor
Gene Yanek
Gene Zaiser
Nancy Zinnato


 
We would also like to thank our Major Sponsors:

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans       WSFS Bank       NEIL       Shone Lumber      PNC Bank

Also our other supporters and contributors:

Brew Ha Ha    Cafee Gelato    Cann Printing    Catherine Rooney's    Delaware Children's Museum
Giant Foods    Grand Opera House    Greek Delight Restaurant    InstaSigns Plus  Lange Construction
Mercantile Press    Merrily Schiavone    Pump & Corrosion     Sir Speedy Union Street    Threatre N
Two Stones Pub    Vital Signs & Graphics    Walgreens Naaman's Road     Winterthur

Without help from across the community from everyone we could not do all that we do, and reach the many families in Delaware that struggle with hunger every day. Our theme this year is "Together We Can" and our Walk/Run is a shinning example of how we do just that.

Photographs by Bill Lindsey and Jeff Batt

facebook.com/lcsde