Wednesday, June 11, 2014

News You Can Use

For Your Church Newsletter    - Prepared by Steve Tindall
From Lutheran Community Services                            July 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.


A Journey Back From Homelessness

Irene first came to LCS in July of 2009.  At that time, she was homeless, confused, and unkempt. Her speech was difficult to understand and often did not make sense. She had been homeless for awhile, living in shelters here and there, and she was clutching a folded piece of paper from WHA indicating that she was eligible, but that the wait would be a year and a half.  In the years that followed, she came back many times for food, clothing, and blankets.  Referrals were written for her at both the St. Stephen’s pantry and at the Zion pantry.  She often used the phones at the Women’s Friendship House Drop in Center to contact us and the coordinators there seemed to genuinely care for her.  She seemed worried about her safety and we encouraged her to look into Luther Towers. Then, recently, Irene returned to LCS and asked for furniture – for her new home in Luther Towers! Now, Irene has a table and chairs, sofa, and nightstand from us and the New Life Furnishings Program of Westminster.  It is uplifting to see the new glow in Irene’s eyes and the quiet comfort of her new home.  At 67, she finally seems to be genuinely happy and at peace.  Helping the homeless, those who are already “on the street,” like Irene, is challenging, which is why LCS housing assistance generally focuses on those who are trying to prevent homelessness, before they lose everything.

Sign Up for the Hunger Walk Run Online

On June 16, visitors to www.lcsde.org noticed that you can now sign up online for the annual LCS Hunger Walk Run (September 20). In addition to convenience, this tool allows you to track your fundraising for the Walk Run and use social media to help you. For example, Janice Reissig of Hope said, “Using the online tool for Walk-Run donations was easy, and broadened my access to potential donors.  I was surprised when I posted a link in Facebook individuals I hadn't thought to personally solicit donated -- and several of my sponsors were out of state, too.   It helped me to reach a personal best for the LCS Hunger Walk Run -- an amount that was over 60% higher than I'd ever raised!”  The online donations tool can make your fundraising easy and give you an edge in the competition to see who can raise the most to help support LCS’s pantries for low income people who come to us for help with food and nutrition.