Summer 2013 Volunteer Job Openings

Here are a few volunteer opportunities that we currently have open. Please contact Cher Frampton at (302) 654-8886, ext 107 or cframpton @ lcsde.org if you are interested in any of these openings.

Attention Students!
Openings for the 2013 Summer Season is upon us and space in our St. Stephen's pantry is very limited. If you are interested in volunteering give Volunteer Coordinator Cher Frampton a call today! (302) 654-8886, 107 or email at cframpton@lcsde.org. Students 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult to your intake interview. 

Financial Counselor
Our Faith Center located on Walnut Street in Wilmington is in search of a part-time financial counselor. Position is to work with clients who are receiving housing or utility assistance to get some financial training and possibly work in partnership with other organizations who also provide such training. This position could be anywhere from one to three days a week. This is a new position and is still in the development stage. We will try to work with you and your schedule to meet client needs. Interested parties may contact Cher Frampton (302) 654-8886 x 107.

Movers Needed! (1 to 3 Openings)

We are looking for a few good strong men!

LCS is in need of movers to accompany scheduled appointments to the Westminster furniture garage to help load furniture for recipients onto their vehicles.

Frequency: 1 to 2 days a month.

We can work around the days that are best for you, but we need to schedule this during the week between 1 and 4pm.  Individuals must be in good health, and able to lift such items as beds, dressers, and tables. This program has been hugely successful in helping families acquire much needed furniture they otherwise are not able to obtain.

Food Drive Coordinators (Unlimited Openings)

Thanksgiving and Christmas are not the only times of the year food drives are needed. People are in need of food year round. But many do not think about this volunteering opportunity during the summer. LCS can provide you with step by step instructions on ideas of how to hold a food drive, or you can get creative and come up with ideas of your own.  Ask your church, schools, employers, boy scouts/girl scouts, community center, book club, family and friends to get involved. 

Food Drives are also an excellent way for high school students to earn their volunteer hours. They learn all about team work, time management, marketing, community and so much more. Every hour they put into planning, meeting and executing their food drive counts as volunteer hours. This has proven to be a very successful volunteer activity for both the students and LCS!

Walk Committee

We are looking for some fresh faces to join us on our Walk Committee. I promise you, you do not have to be in the greatest of shape to be on this committee, I surely am not! You simply have to have the desire to make a difference in your community to fight hunger in Delaware. No running required, unless you want to of course! The Hunger Walk Run 5K is being held on September 21, 2013 at Rockford Park in Wilmington. This is an all inclusive family event, where there is something for everyone. The first Walk Committee meeting will be held on Monday, March 25th, 4pm at our Rodney Street Office in Wilmington.

Committee members are responsible for ensuring the walk goes according to plan. Helps to determine the direction of the event, help establish new contacts in the community, and hopefully bring new ideas to the table. New members are welcome to jump at any time, so don't be shy! Give me a call today if you are interested!

Volunteer Job Openings - April 2013

Here are a few volunteer opportunities that we currently have open. Please contact Cher Frampton at (302) 654-8886, ext 107 or cframpton @ lcsde.org if you are interested in any of these openings.

Front Desk Receptionist - Opening Filled

We are currently looking for an individual to help work our front desk on Monday and Friday mornings/early afternoon at our Rodney Street location in Wilmington. We are looking for someone who has strong phone skills, is good with the public and greeting clients, volunteers, donors, or anyone coming through our doors.  

Some duties include:
-Keeping workspace tidy and notices up to date. 

-Explain/talk about LCS to visitors and invite them to monthly food for thought tours.

-Collect voice mails and answer phones

-Cover staff for lunch breaks

-Assist program staff as needed (Making copies, organizing files, shredding etc.) 

Movers Needed! (1 to 3 Openings)

We are looking for a few good strong men!

LCS is in need of movers to accompany scheduled appointments to the Westminster furniture garage to help load furniture for recipients onto their vehicles.

Frequency: 1 to 2 days a month.

We can work around the days that are best for you, but we need to schedule this during the week between 1 and 4pm.  Individuals must be in good health, and able to lift such items as beds, dressers, and tables. This program has been hugely successful in helping families acquire much needed furniture they otherwise are not able to obtain.

Food Drive Coordinators (Unlimited Openings)

Thanksgiving and Christmas are not the only times of the year food drives are needed. People are in need of food year round. But many do not think about this volunteering opportunity during the summer. LCS can provide you with step by step instructions on ideas of how to hold a food drive, or you can get creative and come up with ideas of your own.  Ask your church, schools, employers, boy scouts/girl scouts, community center, book club, family and friends to get involved. 

Food Drives are also an excellent way for high school students to earn their volunteer hours. They learn all about team work, time management, marketing, community and so much more. Every hour they put into planning, meeting and executing their food drive counts as volunteer hours. This has proven to be a very successful volunteer activity for both the students and LCS!

Walk Committee

We are looking for some fresh faces to join us on our Walk Committee. I promise you, you do not have to be in the greatest of shape to be on this committee, I surely am not! You simply have to have the desire to make a difference in your community to fight hunger in Delaware. No running required, unless you want to of course! The Hunger Walk Run 5K is being held on September 21, 2013 at Rockford Park in Wilmington. This is an all inclusive family event, where there is something for everyone. The first Walk Committee meeting will be held on Monday, March 25th, 4pm at our Rodney Street Office in Wilmington.

Committee members are responsible for ensuring the walk goes according to plan. Helps to determine the direction of the event, help establish new contacts in the community, and hopefully bring new ideas to the table. New members are welcome to jump at any time, so don't be shy! Give me a call today if you are interested!

Volunteer Job Openings - March 2013

Here are a few volunteer opportunities that we currently have open. Please contact Cher Frampton at (302) 654-8886, ext 107 or cframpton @ lcsde.org if you are interested in any of these openings.

NEWFood Pantry Statistician - Opening Filled

Lutheran Community Services is currently looking for a new statistician to start assisting the current volunteer who has been in place for 15 years and eventually take over the entire operation.

Job duties will include:

1.       Type data into an Excel spreadsheet

2.       Eventually tabulate the data to produce the final reports

3.       Be trusted with the information from the intake sheets

Requirements: Person must be willing to take this on as a long term volunteer job. Job takes about 3 hours a week of data entry. Approximately 2 hours a month putting final report together. Person must have a very good understanding of Microsoft office, and Excel. 

Front Desk Receptionist - Opening Filled

We are currently looking for an individual to help work our front desk on Monday and Friday mornings/early afternoon at our Rodney Street location in Wilmington. We are looking for someone who has strong phone skills, is good with the public and greeting clients, volunteers, donors, or anyone coming through our doors.  

Some duties include:

Keeping workspace tidy and notices up to date. 

Explain/talk about LCS to visitors and invite them to monthly food for thought tours.

Collect voice mails and answer phones

Cover staff for lunch breaks

Assist program staff as needed (Making copies, organizing files, shredding etc.) 

Food Drive Coordinators (Unlimited Openings)

Thanksgiving and Christmas are not the only times of the year food drives are needed. People are in need of food year round. But many do not think about this volunteering opportunity during the summer. LCS can provide you with step by step instructions on ideas of how to hold a food drive, or you can get creative and come up with ideas of your own.  Ask your church, schools, employers, boy scouts/girl scouts, community center, book club, family and friends to get involved. 

Food Drives are also an excellent way for high school students to earn their volunteer hours. They learn all about team work, time management, marketing, community and so much more. Every hour they put into planning, meeting and executing their food drive counts as volunteer hours. This has proven to be a very successful volunteer activity for both the students and LCS! 

Walk Committee

We are looking for some fresh faces to join us on our Walk Committee. The Hunger Walk Run 5K is being held on September 21, 2013 at Rockford Park in Wilmington. This is an all inclusive family event, where there is something for everyone. The first Walk Committee meeting will be held on Monday, March 25th, 4pm at our Rodney Street Office in Wilmington.

Committee members are responsible for ensuring the walk goes according to plan. Helps to determine the direction of the event, help establish new contacts in the community, and hopefully bring new ideas to the table. Starting this month the committee will meet monthly to discuss a plan of action and decide who is going to do what. Cannot make it this month? Never fear! It is not to late...new members can jump on at any time. 

News You Can Use - April 2013

For Your Church Newsletter - Prepared by Steve Tindall

From Lutheran Community Services     April 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.

Need for Housing Assistance Grows

A new report released by the Delaware Housing Coalition shows that 6 of every 10 low income renters in Delaware are often unable to find an apartment they can afford. 75% of extremely low income families end up spending more than half of their incomes on housing costs.  According to LCS Program Director Sandy Betley, the number of people asking LCS for housing assistance continues to expand. With limited capacity, there is no way LCS can accommodate more clients, so staff is regularly asked to stop making appointments for a few days. Once they catch up, the program reopens. LCS housing assistance loans and grants average about $400 per family. Last year, LCS housing assistance activities helped over 1300 people avoid homelessness.

A Client Freeing Herself From Nicotine Addiction

In addition to its core housing and food programs, LCS operates some smaller ones, such as the Smoking Cessation Voucher Program. Our role is to assure that low income folks who desire to free themselves from the yoke of tobacco addiction get the proper pharmaceutical support. A client recently emailed us: “My counselor and I speak each week and this is going great. Thank you for helping me rid myself of a habit I have had for a very long time. I started saving up for a new washer/dryer with the money from not purchasing cigarettes. What a blessing.”

LCS Gimme Shelter Golf Tournament Makes Changes

Organizers are gearing up for a great 2013 Gimme Shelter Golf Tournament on Friday, May 17 at Chesapeake Bay Golf Course in Northeast, MD. What’s new? Plenty. For one, Shone Lumber stepped up as the title sponsor. Thank you! What else? Well, the event will be held on a Friday for the first time; and the shotgun start will be at 1 pm, another first.  There will also be a dinner after golf, which is one more first. The great thing about the dinner is that it will feature the best of “Grandma’s Italian Kitchen” with spaghetti, meatballs, chicken parmesan, Caesar salad and lots more! Dinner tickets for nongolfers are available for $25. To register for the tournament or to get tickets, contact Larry Friday at (302) 438-1290 or fridayla@msn.com.

Volunteer Appreciation - Mardi Gras!

It is hard to believe that tomorrow it will be one year since I started working here at LCS. But it has been, and boy did it go by fast! So much has happened, I have met so many wonderful people and lots of positive things have taken place. Wow!

I am so not athletic! But I love to hand out awards!!

My first public appearance was the Annual Volunteer Appreciation event called "Mardi Gras!" only three weeks after I began which gave me a chance to say "Hi" to everyone.  I have enjoyed so much getting to know you and learning how you fit into life here at LCS. Every job no matter how big or small is critical to keep this organization moving and healthy. I also see new volunteers coming in our doors every week. Without them, we could not continue to do the work we do.

So I would like to extend an invitation to all of our volunteers, new or established, active or inactive... to please come out for our Annual Volunteer Appreciation Event - Mardi Gras!

   Join us for Cajun snacks, sweets, coffee and tea.
   Entertainment by Joe Cilento Group

   Sunday February 24, 2013
2:00 p.m.
Westminster Presbyterian Church
13th and Rodney Street., Wilmington

Bring a Friend! And Please R.S.V.P.
302.654.8886, ext 100
or send an email  -info@lcsde.org
We have directions if you need them. (This is across the street from our main office.) Parking is at the Westminster Park Lot. Enter the Blue Doors on 13th Street.

I hope to see you there. I would love to catch up with as many of you as possible. This event is for YOU! It's a free event, and no we are no asking for donations or money. This is just a gathering and celebration for our volunteers to show all of you how much we appreciate everything you do for us!

Peace,
Cher Frampton

Ending Hunger Conference By The Delaware Anti-Hunger Coalition

I plan on attending, as do a few other staff from LCS. Any other volunteers from LCS interested in going? It is reasonably priced and close by. Sounds like a great day! Let us know if you plan on going by emailing me at cframpton@lcsde.org.  Register early, space is very limited!




Also check out the Food Bank of Delaware Blog on an article they wrote about us after their visit with us this month..."Giving Back and Paying it Forward."

2012 LCS Annual Newsletter

Here’s our latest newsletter about some of the great things happening here at LCS.

(Click on image to read)

 

News You Can Use - December 2012

News You Can Use Prepared by Steve Tindall

For Your Church Newsletter

From Lutheran Community Services                   December 2012

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.

Help Everyone Have a Holiday Meal ...

Start a Food Drive Today!

Demand for food assistance has been so great that we are planning to call on year-end food drives to help keep our food programs going. Last year (2011), we helped 69,400 people with emergency food assistance. By year-end 2012, we expect to help nearly 84,000 people. That is a 20 percent increase in food clients. More food clients means we need more food.  We didn’t budget for this kind of increase, but rather than scale back our food programs we focused on ways to obtain food without cost. That’s a mighty tall order, but we are hoping that food drives will help fill it. This is especially important during the holiday season – from now until New Year’s – when we are the recipient of large and small food drives, and when many folks are looking for ways to give to and help the needy families among us.

Would you consider conducting a food drive? It doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to run a food drive. First, identify who you would appeal to. Think beyond your church. You can start a food drive with your neighbors, your family, your work place, your gym, school, club or scouting group. We have a detailed guide which explains exactly how to conduct a successful food drive, and we would love to share it with you. We also have bags to fill up and lists of items that we need the most – things like tuna fish, peanut butter, and rice. If you are interested in starting a food drive, contact LCS Volunteer Coordinator Cher Frampton at 302 654 8886 x107 or via email at cframpton@lcsde.org.

Click and Save/Share Invite with Friends!

Graphic Design by: Jeff Batt

Snapshot of a Housing Client

An elderly couple who have been homeowners (with a mortgage) for 15 years are living on a small limited income and raising a niece and nephew. The husband is preparing for a lung transplant. While all this was going on, their car broke down and they got behind in their mortgage. They applied to LCS for housing assistance and we were able to help them with the money they needed to pay their mortgage, avoid homelessness, and remain in their home.