News You Can Use

For Your Church Newsletter  - Prepared by Steve Tindall

From Lutheran Community Services          August 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 Results

All the money is in and all the invoices for the May 16 Gimme Shelter Golf Tournament are paid, so we can look at the final results. With the addition of $4,200 from the NCC Chapter of Thrivent, the grand total of money turned over to LCS for its housing programs was a record-breaking $19,024! Thanks to tournament organizer Larry Friday and all the golfers and donors who participated in the tournament, all of the money will be available as grants or 0-interest loans for low income families facing the turmoil of homelessness.

                                             Walk Run Invites Dogs

Thanks to suggestions we’ve received, LCS has decided that pooches will be able to register for the LCS Hunger Walk Run the first time. Then, right before the start, Pastor Fred Melton from St. Mark’s will offer a “Blessing of the Dogs” for all the canines attending. The Walk Run registration form is being revised to be doggy friendly and show that dogs are indeed welcome at the Walk Run! The money raised by the pooches will be attributed to the owners who brought them. It sounds crazy at first, but LCS believes that this will attract some new people (and critters) to the event. Everything raised goes to help support LCS’s food ministry.

LCS Helps with Furniture, Too

Idella and her late husband lived in the same house for over 40 years.  We first met her a few years ago when Idella had some much needed repairs done through our home repair program.  Over the past year, several of her grown children and their children have come to live with her as their own financial situations have become precarious.  In the beginning of April, we were able to help by providing them with beds and a dresser.  Then, Idella asked for a bed for herself as she had given up hers and was sleeping on the couch!   By the end of June, we were able to provide her with both a bed and a matching dresser, which was deeply appreciated.  All of this furniture was provided through our partnership with the New Life Furnishings program of Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Good Luck Ariana Wakeman...and Thank You!

Ari at her desk working on housing appointments

We have come to that difficult time of year were we must once again say goodbye to one of our LVC staff members.
 
Ariana Wakeman (Ari) has just about completed her year of service with us and will be moving on to hopefully bigger and better things.

We have been very grateful and blessed to have Ari on board with us and she has worked hard all year. As with my tradition since my arrival I wanted to ask Ari some questions about her experience here with us before her last day, which is July 25.


How did you feel when you found out you were coming to Delaware and to LCS?

-       Ari: I was excited to work for a program such as Lutheran Community Services. I was unsure how I would like Delaware, but knew it would be a great experience.

Was this the kind of work you were looking to do?

     Ari: This was exactly the kind of work I was looking to do. I was very interested in working with low-income populations and being an advocate. This year has confirmed for me that I am in the right field, and that I am passionate about what I am doing.

 

Getting reading for produce distribution

When you first arrived, was it what you were expecting? What were your first impressions?

-        Ari: I did not have a lot of expectations coming into this position because I wanted to be open to different experiences and learning opportunities. I felt very welcomed by the staff and volunteers, which made  the transition smooth for me.

Would you want to do this kind of work again and what have you learned while you were here?

-        Ari: I would like to continue to work in this field. I feel that I have learned a lot about how non-profits are run, how to interact with clients, and the details of various government programs. I recognize that I have a lot more to learn, but I am thankful for the opportunities for growth this has provided for me as an individual.

Was there one moment that sticks out to you that you will never forgot during your time here at LCS?

-        Ari: I found that although there can be many stressful moments in an environment such as this, there were also many times that laughter became the best medicine. I am appreciative to have had people around me who were able to do this.

What will you miss the  most here  at LCS?

Ari: I will really miss the people, including both the volunteers and the staff. I am honored to have worked with such genuine, caring, and compassionate individuals whom I greatly look up to.

Ari and a volunteer prepare to call out numbers for produce
in heat. Volunteers work in all weather for produce

What plans do you have after you leave?

Ari:  I will be attending the University of Michigan for my Masters in Social Work with a concentration in Community Organizing and Health as well as joining the cycling team there. 

Ari, Thank You! You made such an impression on us and we are all going to dearly miss you. We wish you much success in your exciting future plans!

Volunteer Opportunities with LCS

We currently have the following volunteering opportunities at LCS...

Volunteer Mentors: We are looking for experienced mature volunteers who are interested in mentoring younger or special needs individuals who need one on one coaching at our St. Stephen's pantry on Broom Street in Wilmington. We try to give everyone the opportunity to volunteer despite age or ability and we are currently in need of some extra help to work with these special individuals. This is an special job that requires a person with patience, maturity, who is open to diversity in the work place and willing to give individualized attention to one of our volunteers to help them grow and develop in the work place. Up to the challenge? Than this is the position for you!  3 Openings.

Publisher:     Position Filled!  We have been working on a new Policy and Procedure Manual and from that wish to design and publish a Volunteer Handbook.  We have the contents, but we need someone willing to do the publishing.  Some knowledge in graphic design would be useful but not mandatory. If you are the creative type and wish to put your mark on our new and first ever Volunteer Handbook, give us a call, we are ready to start working on it and would love to have something ready before the year is out!
1 Opening.


Walk/Run Community Outreach Coordinators: These individuals will be responsible for going out into their community and educating the public about LCS, it's mission, hunger in Delaware and

LCS Walk/Run September 20, 2014
in Rockford Park.  Click Here to Register!

why we have the Walk/Run and getting people excited about becoming involved with it. We have materials for this and it is an easy sell. We will be looking for a representative in each town. (Hockessin, Newark, Pikecreek, Brandywine, Newport/Stanton, Greenville, Claymont, New Castle, etc.) If we get more than one request from a town, we can team individuals up. There are no rules on how you spread the word or get individuals on board. We expect there is a great deal of creativity out there and will let that seed itself. Community Outreach Coordinators will be mentioned on the day of the walk. Openings - How many towns are there?

Pantry Workers - St. Stephen's - We are in need of some good reliable pantry volunteers at St. Stephen's pantry on Broom Street in Wilmington. Duties include stocking shelves, packing bags, taking client referrals and getting their grocery orders to them, opening and closing the pantry, receiving food deliveries, keeping in good communications with the pantry coordinator and the volunteer coordinator.

Pantry is open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 12pm. We are especially in need of people on Thursday and Fridays. But we take people any days. 10 Openings.
You can work 1 day a month, 1 day a week, all week,  2 days a week...it's entirely up to you. All we ask is that you are reliable and show up when you are scheduled unless there are circumstances beyond your control.  The work at St. Stephen's is vital to the community feeding over 25,000 people a year and the volunteer staff is critical to keep the day to day operations running.
If you are unable to work the 9 to 12 shift we are also in need  of after hour stockers who can work with some special need populations. The shift is from 12 to 2 or until  you are finished (which is often before 2pm)  4 Openings

Pantry Workers - Zion Lutheran Church - Our pantry in Zion Lutheran Church on Lancaster Ave in Wilmington is also in search of similar workers for their pantry. Their hours of operation vary slightly. They are open from 9am till 11:30am on Tues, Wed and Thurs.
If you would like to work at this location, please let us know, they are also in need! 5 Openings.


If any of these positions are of interest to you contact the LCS Volunteer Coordinator, Cher Frampton at cframpton@lcsde.org or 302-654-8886 x 107.

We look forward to hearing from you!

On your mark, get set....GO!

And...get posters out into the community!!  We are currently asking for volunteers to put posters out for our 23rd Annual 5k Walk/Run being held on September 20th. If you ever wanted to volunteer for LCS but was not sure what you could do, this is an easy and important opportunity that can make a difference and the time is now! If you already volunteer for LCS, we need your help right now!

Here is what the poster looks like. You can also take an electronic copy of this poster from this blog (Just click on photo, then right click, copy, save to directory of your choosing on your computer.) Promote the walk/run on your twitter account, Facebook, Instagram..wherever you use social media on the web and do so liberally!  If you would like a printable version of  our poster, just contact me at cframpton@lcsde.org.

We also have these posters at our office and need them taken out into the community and put into local churches, schools, store fronts, anywhere there is foot traffic. We cannot do this one alone and the more people who participate, the wider our scope of distribution.

We would also like to announce that on-line registration is now live. On-line registration is easy and fun and will increase your fund raising capacity. So hop on line and get registered today, its easy and you will love how much easier it is to do. If you need assistance contact Heather at hteig@lcsde.org after July 7.

WALK RUN REGISTRATION - CLICK HERE!