Monday, February 24, 2014

His name is Joe...

Exceptional: ex·cep·tion·al 
unusually good; outstanding.
synonyms:outstanding, extraordinary, remarkable, special, excellent, phenomenal, prodigious;
unequaled, unparalleled, unique, unsurpassed, peerless, matchless, nonpareil, first-rate, first-class;
informalA1, top-notch
"his exceptional ability"

A word I would use to describe all of our volunteers, but one I would like to pull out to use on our friend Joe today. My mother always told me growing up "Never judge a book by it's cover" and so I grew up taking that saying very seriously and never did. And because of that I have met some of the most wonderful and exceptional people in the world.

On Sunday, February 9 our friend Joe was featured in the News Journal asking people to help raise food donations. I was pleased to see a most worthy candidate for the job. 


I gave Joe a call and was able to sit down with him for a few minutes for a chat....


Cher:
Joe, when did you start volunteering with LCS?

Joe:
January 2012 at the Shiloh Baptist Mobile Unit in Wilmington helping unloading, organizing, and carrying orders to cars for folks.

Cher:
What got you volunteering with Shiloh?

Joe: At first I was there to get food from the program for my family, then Sandy your program coordinator asked me if I would start helping out, and I  said “Sure, I have no problem helping out.”  That got me started on wanting to help out the community. Eventually I started working at St. Stephen’s pantry and produce on Wednesdays in addition to Shiloh, and I was added as a sub on the substitute list. I just wanted to help any way I could.

Cher:
This must have kept you very busy, what motivated you to keep adding duties to your LCS resume?

Joe:
Because you won’t let me leave. You all love me too much!!

Cher:
(Laughing) This is true…  You are very reliable and every time we call you, you are here for us. Thank you! What are your future plans with LCS?

Joe: My plans are to stick it out with LCS until a better opportunity comes along, like a job.

Cher:
We sure hope you stick around, but we sure won’t be sad to see you go because of a job.

Joe: LCS is great place to be and everyone here is very friendly and you are good to me. If I need anything I just have to call and I am treated with respect.

Thank you Joe, for everything you do. You bring a lot to the table to LCS and we are very grateful. I ran across a poem from one of my favorite writers and I thought it fit here really nicely. It's by Tom Krause.

Through my troubles and my worries are sometimes all that I can see - still I always must remember life's not only about me. 
Other souls are also hurting and I know that it's God's plan 
to reach out to help another - to extend them my hand.
With this purpose as my focus - to be a comfort to a friend -
all my troubles and my worries seem to fade out in the end.
It is one of God's true lessons - how my walk is meant to be -
true happiness I find when life's not only about me.

Thank you to all of our volunteers who give tirelessly and selflessly each and every month and make our mission possible!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Help Needed ASAP!

 The bath tissue has been picked up... Thank you!!

We are in need of a volunteer with a truck who can drive to Chester, PA to pick up 10 cases of bathroom tissue donated to us by the Kimberly Clark Corporation ASAP. This is a wonderful donation and we need it picked up as quickly as possible.

If you have a truck that can hold 10 cases of bathroom tissue, please contact us at (302) 654-8886 ext 107 so we can make arrangements.

We are also looking for someone who would like to pick donations up from time to time on a regular basis. If you are interested in this being a regular volunteer opportunity, please contact us.

Monday, February 17, 2014

News You Can Use



For Your Church Newsletter
From Lutheran Community Services                  March 2014

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 Steve Tindall (stindall@lcsde.org). 302 654 8886.

Gimme Shelter Golf Tournament – May 16, 2014

If you’re a golfer, join in the fun at the annual Gimme Shelter Golf Tournament. This year’s tournament is at Wilmington’s Porky Oliver Golf Club on Friday May 16 with an 8:00 a.m. shotgun
start. All of the money raised by the tournament, goes to help support LCS’s homelessness prevention program, which helps hundreds of people each year who are threatened with eviction. Larry Friday is the tournament director. Contact him about sponsorships and registrations -- (302) 438-1290 or fridayla@msn.com.

FAITH Center Supports Clients in Many Ways

Ms. Barbara A. came to our FAITH Center office with a broken heart and spirit, and facing eviction. It was almost too much to bear. She had been housed for the last eight months, but before that her life was a nightmare:  sleeping in shelters, friends’ floors, and cars; washing up in gas stations, train or bus stations. Then she fell behind in her rent due to reduced hours at work. With assistance from two of our member churches, and our own funds, we helped Ms. A. with her rent so she could stay housed – and also with referrals, prayer, and encouragement.

Annual Breakfast – May 7, 2014

Plans are underway for LCS’s 10th Annual Room at the Table Free Fundraising Breakfast, which will be held this year on May 7, 2014 at the DuPont Country Club. Money raised at this event is dedicated to LCS operating expenses. Operating support is crucially important at this time – when we are also embarking on a capital campaign for our new headquarters building.

Preparing for the Storm

Just as local grocery stores note a swell in customers prior to a storm, so do the LCS pantries.  Each low-income family receives enough food for 3 days.  St. Stephen’s pantry, our busiest, serves 30-50 families a day, but on the day before a recent storm (2/12) we served 83 families!