Do More 24

                     https://domore24delaware.com/npos/lutheran-community-services-inc

LCS 2015 Annual Report

Click on link below to view the annual report in pdf format.

https://www.scribd.com/doc/273519909/2015-Annual-Report

https://www.scribd.com/doc/273519909/2015-Annual-Report

LCS 2014 Program Services Report

LUTHERAN COMMUNITY SERVICES (DE) – 2014 Report to the Congregations

The continued strong support of individuals, our sponsoring congregations,  foundations and government agencies has allowed Lutheran Community Services to continue to carry out our mission of “Sharing God’s Blessings by Helping Others in Need.” 

The need for a safety net for people less fortunate than ourselves has not abated, and we have found that a great many people in Delaware continued to request help with basic necessities of life – food, shelter, and kindness.

In 2014, we selected  Growing Together as our annual theme, because it helps us describe how people are changed by services offered with the love of Christ, how volunteers grow through their service, and donors are enriched in their giving. Once again in 2014, we have provided close to 90,000 incidents of service: 

• Services: food, homelessness prevention, smoking cessation vouchers, clothing and more.

• Distributions occur regularly in 15 locations.We have been grateful for the work of over 400 volunteers.

• Some new volunteers have used their experience with us to launch themselves into new jobs.  

• One of our sponsoring congregations is offering food during evening hours; something we have dreamed about.

• Every applicant for financial assistance has been offered free financial counseling with our partner agency, Clarifi. The number of people making use of this service increased by 60%!

• Throughout the year we have continued to offer nutrition education and classes in conjunction with the UD Cooperative Extension Service and a Shop Rite nutritionist.

• During the growing season many healthy veggies are donated by individuals. This year, one of our farmer friends planted a whole crop of corn just for donation!

You have probably heard that we have acquired a new building on Baynard Boulevard in Wilmington, and that renovations have commenced, with a hoped-for move-in date of late spring 2015 – just a few months away.  Meanwhile, the contractors are busy installing a new roof, new systems, new windows (including a stained glass one), walls, paint, carpet – in short everything. 

Recent photos taken this week of construction at the new building. Lot's of progress is being made!
Click on photos to enlarge.

The Capital Campaign Committee has been hard at work, and at this time, 80% of the funds needed have been pledged or received. Please join us in our push to the goal if you haven’t already. The move is destined to help us continue Growing Together to serve even more people in need with excellent services, accessibility, privacy, dignity, and, most importantly, the love of God.

We had wonderful support for our operating expenses through the annual Walk Run, which set records again in 2014, as well as our Gimme Shelter Golf Tournament (another record breaker) and our annual Room at the Table breakfast. Our challenge now is to maintain our flow of regular contributions, which go toward the everyday operating costs of the agency, as we ask for additional gifts to cover the expenses of our construction project. We hope that this spirit of giving continues in 2015.

News You Can Use

For Your Church Newsletter        Prepared by Steve Tindall

From Lutheran Community Services                       October 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 Steve Tindall (stindall@lcsde.org). 302 654 8886.

New Lutheran Volunteer

Ariana Wakeman – or Ari for short – is our new Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC) volunteer. At LCS, she will fill the position of Food and Shelter Assistant for one year. Her training is underway and soon she will be handling food and housing duties completely on her own. Ari is from the small town of Exeter, NH. She came to LCS after she graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in psychology. She is an active outdoors person. At Rhode Island, she rowed for URI’s Division 1 program. She also enjoys backpacking, climbing, and road biking. Welcome Ari!

More Than One in Five Children Go Hungry

In early September, the USDA announced that nearly 16 million children in America (or approximately one in five) face hunger. In both its housing and its food programs, LCS strives to meet the needs of kids. This is one of the reasons LCS puts so much emphasis on nutrition. Good nutrition among children has implications for a child’s future physical and mental health, academic achievement, and economic productivity. Unfortunately, food insecurity is an obstacle to good nutrition, and Delaware’s food security rate is among the lowest in the nation, ranking 48^th, ahead of only Mississippi and Alabama.  LCS tries to help kids whenever it can, which is why we are able to help so many – about 50,000 last year. One of the really special things LCS does for kids is distribute handmade quilts (lovingly made and donated by Phyllis Milby) to families with small children. The supply is not unlimited so LCS is careful how many it gives away. Most of the time we give them to families that are troubled or disturbed. We find that these stressed moms and dads are often astonished and overwhelmed by the gift of a handmade item and the warm sentiment that it carries.

RSVP Award
Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) has awarded Hortense Priest – one of our long-time volunteers – with its annual Outstanding Senior Service Award for her work with LCS, Grand Opera, Woodlawn Library and many other agencies throughout the community. Congratulations, Hortense!

Thank You Laurie Elseroad

A year seems like a long time, until it is time for us to say goodbye to yet another Lutheran Volunteer Corps Superstar like Laurie Elseroad! It feels like she just got here yesterday and yet, here it is time for her to go. And while we are all sad to see her leave, we are all also very proud of the work she has accomplished while here and the great job she has done.  For those of you who are not familiar with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps, please visit their website, www.lutheranvolunteercorps.org/

an incredible organization doing amazing work with our young people. And yes, we have a new LVC'r coming our way in August!!!

Naturally I was not going to let Laurie go without asking her some questions, an exit interview and of course a little photo shoot. I have to keep my photographer busy of course! 

So here we go, Laurie's exit interview.
And Thank You Laurie, you have been Wonderful and we are all going to miss you bunches!

God Bless and much luck on all of your future endeavors! 

-The Staff of LCS

- How are you feeling about winding up your time with us here at LCS?

"I am very sad to say goodbye to my LCS family, but I am excited for the opportunities to come that working at LCS has prepared me for"

-Was this the assignment you were looking for?"Working at LCS was exactly what I was looking for, and more!  I wanted to work directly with people, but I walked away with more skills and experiences than I imagined."

 -What were your first impressions when you got here?"At first I was nervous that I would never get the hang of everything, as it was my first full-time job.  While I had a lot of responsibility, I was excited about it, and the staff here are so open to questions and ideas that I felt a part of the team right away.  Their willingness and desire to help, made the transition so much easier."

- What has the work here at LCS meant to you?

"I feel very lucky to have been matched with LCS because I gained experience in several different aspects of non-profit work.  I had the opportunity to work directly with clients, to organize volunteers, to manage small programs, and to complete office duties.  The range of work has provided me with invaluable skills necessary for my future working for social justice with a non-profit."

- What have you learned while working here at LCS? 

"The most important lesson I will take away from my time here at LCS is who are clientele are.  Putting a face to people in need, I found that there is no particular face."

- If you could pick out one moment you say you will never forget while here, what would it be?

"The gratitude evident in folks’ faces and in their actions that I witnessed first-hand when handing out Thanksgiving dinners to families."

 

 - What will you miss the most here at LCS?

"Aaron, I did spend 40 hrs a week with him."

-What are your plans once you return home?

"I will be moving back home to Baltimore to work as a Veterinary Assistant at Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter in downtown Baltimore, MD.  I will also be working part-time as a field organizer for the Real Food Challenge throughout the mid-Atlantic region."

News You Can Use

For Your Church Newsletter  -Prepared by Steve Tindall

From Lutheran Community Services                        August 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 Steve Tindall (stindall@lcsde.org). 302 654 8886.

More Produce

Coverdale Farms – which is an arm of the Delaware Nature Society – has begun to bring LCS their excess produce. It’s fresh, really fresh, which is a great addition to the menus of low income LCS food recipients lucky enough to receive it. The farmer who manages the farm brings the produce to our St. Stephen’s pantry, our largest, and it is blended in with the food we give away on that day. Last week’s delivery was a wonderful one, and one we hope will be replicated – 70 lbs of zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, broccoli and onions.

Anniversary Benefits Pantry

Mary Ann and Larry Peart celebrated their 50^th Wedding Anniversary on June 8. Instead of gifts, they suggested that people bring food for hungry people in our area. Their friends and family were quite generous and their donations really helped fill the pantry shelves. This kind of idea is gaining in popularity, especially among people who feel they already have all that they need.

Rain, Rain and the Power of Prayer

A few weeks ago we had really severe storms on the morning of our regularly scheduled Mobile Pantry stop at Shiloh Baptist Church. Strong winds, rain and hail were predicted. After contacting the church and the Food Bank, we decided to postpone. But the day turned out to be a beautiful one, and we felt bad about postponing. A new date was scheduled, and on that day, once again, the prediction was for severe thunderstorms. We couldn’t postpone again, so LCS leaders asked clients for some prayers. Here’s what happened:  At 4:29 we finished the distribution, packed up and drove away under dry skies. Then ten minutes later, at 4:39, the skies opened up with blinding rain. We can’t help but think that in this case our prayers worked!

Walk Run Scheduled for September 21

 Register online:  www.lcsde.org. Call 302 654 8886 x 100 or email hteig@lcsde.org.