Volunteer Open House!

Join the Fun at the LCS Open House

This is our annual celebration for our many fine volunteers.
Come celebrate the opening of our new 

"Choice Pantry!"

Sunday, February 28, 2016

From 1:00 until 4:00 in the Afternoon

Lutheran Community Services
2809 Baynard Blvd, Wilmington, DE 19802 

Bring a Friend and PLEASE RSVP!

302-654-8886, x 102
Or send us an email - info@lcsde.org

We have directions if you need them.

News You Can Use - May 2015

For Your Church Newsletter

From Lutheran Community Services  - By Steve Tindall                       

 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.

Board Calls for Cuts

The LCS Board of Trustees has indicated that we need to cut program expenses because the operating income of the agency has not increased enough to meet the demand. This makes things like annual giving and the Room at the Table Breakfast more important than ever. The staff is currently examining all of our service practices for efficiencies so that we can minimize the impact of the cuts on services. Meanwhile, we are confident that within a year we can restore services to previous levels, and create new programs. Planning continues on the new choice pantry we want to start at the new building at 2809 Baynard Boulevard, and a new food program at Faith Lutheran Church in Bear.  According to Jean Warren, “The new building funds are entirely separate with a separate account not connected to our funds for operations.”

Homelessness Prevention

We used to call our back rent and mortgage programs “Housing Services,” but too many people mistook us for a shelter, so we have renamed the program “Homelessness Prevention.” Here’s a story about one of our clients. Because of a mix-up in paperwork, Denise got behind with her rent beginning in 2012 but didn’t know about it till this year. She came to LCS in April in desperate need of help with her back rent but only half expecting to get help because her situation was so dire. When she came in, her total back rent was several thousand dollars, but the staff listened and decided to do what they do best:  help people. Denise was able to raise $2800 from friends and family. LCS chipped in a $500 grant and facilitated an additional $600 from Immanuel Church. In this way, in just two days, LCS was able to assure that Denise stayed in her unit. And she said, “I am more than thankful. I truly am, and I hope and pray that all involved with helping me will be greatly blessed. Peace and Love to you all.”

Volunteers Wanted

Volunteer Coordinator Cher Frampton tells us that LCS needs volunteers, specifically for Zion and St. Stephen’s pantries, and for a volunteer photographer. Call Cher at 654 8886 x107.

The Zion and St. Stephen's Pantries are in need of pantry workers for all shifts.

St. Stephen's is open Monday - Friday from 9am to 12pm and is located in St. Stephen's Lutheran Church on 1301 N. Broom Street in Wilmington. 

Zion is open Tuesday - Thursday from 9am to 11am and is located in Zion Lutheran Church on 2101 Lancaster Ave (Rt. 48) in Wilmington.

Duties include stocking, bagging food, accepting food shipments/donations, answering phone, greeting clients and getting their pantry orders. 
Volunteers must be 15 years or older and be able to lift a minimum of 10 pounds. 

We are in need of a Volunteer Photographer to cover our various fundraisers, special events and to produce photos for our materials in print and in social media. You must have your own digital camera, have some knowledge of photo editing, and ability to email images. Knowledge of Adobe products a plus but not mandatory. Must be age 18 years or older and have your own transportation.
For a schedule of our fundraisers dates and times visit our website at www.lcsde.org to see if you can commit to this years line up. This position is perfect for the very serious amateur photographer who is looking for a job to enhance their own portfolio while giving back to the community at the same time.

Your Help is Needed Now! PANTRY OPENINGS AT ST. STEPHEN'S

HELP IS NEEDED NOW!


Lutheran Community Services (LCS) is currently seeking volunteers to work in our St. Stephen’s Food Pantry on N. Broom Street, near Trolley Square in Wilmington. Hours are 9am to 12pm and the pantry is open Monday – Friday. Duties include stocking, bagging, filling referral requests from clients, and helping with shipments. Schedules are flexible and you can work as many days as you like. St. Stephen’s Pantry serves approximately 25,000 individuals a year, our largest and busiest pantry. If you would like to help and know you are making a difference please contact the LCS Volunteer Coordinator, Cher Frampton at 302-654-8886 x 107 or cframpton@yahoo.com to set up an interview.

Volunteer Opportunities - Pantry Volunteers Needed ASAP!

HELP IS NEEDED NOW!
Lutheran Community Services (LCS) is currently seeking volunteers to work in our St. Stephen’s Food Pantry on N. Broom Street, near Trolley Square in Wilmington. Hours are 9am to 12pm and the pantry is open Monday – Friday. Duties include stocking, bagging, filling referral requests from clients, and helping with shipments. Schedules are flexible and you can work as many days as you like. St. Stephen’s Pantry serves approximately 25,000 individuals a year, our largest and busiest pantry. If you would like to help and know you are making a difference please contact the LCS Volunteer Coordinator, Cher Frampton at 302-654-8886 x 107 or cframpton@yahoo.com to set up an interview.

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.

Receptionist Volunteer Opportunities Available Now...

NEW!  Receptionist - Main Office We are currently looking for a volunteer receptionist for the front desk at our main office in Wilmington on N. Rodney Street. Candidates need to posses excellent communication, phone  and basic computer skills, some experience with office machines such as printers and fax machine a plus. Ability to be flexible and willing to learn new things. This opening is for Mondays and Thursdays from 8:30 am until 3:30 pm.  Free parking is provided.


NEW!  Receptionist - Office at Zion Lutheran Church
Our pantry at Zion Lutheran Church on Rt.48 in Wilmington is in immediate need of a receptionist during their pantry hours. (Tue/Wed/Thur) from 9am to 11:am. Duties include answering phone, greeting clients, taking messages, communicating with the pantry coordinator and doing some paperwork. Training and free parking is provided.

These positions will fill quickly, so if you are interested contact us ASAP! These are perfect positions for a retired individual who may want to keep their professional skills polished, or for an individual looking for some job experience and skill building for a future job. Interested candidates should send resume (if available) to Cher Frampton at cframpton@lcsde.org or 302-654-8886, x 107.  Openings are available immediately. 

Volunteer Opportunities Available for September

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

NEW! Receptionist - Main Office - We are currently looking for a volunteer receptionist for the front desk at our main office in Wilmington on N. Rodney Street. Candidates need to posses excellent communication skills, phone skills, basic computer skills, some experience with office machines such as printers and fax machine a plus. Ability to be flexible and willing to learn new things. This opening is for Thursdays from 8:30 am until 3:30 pm.  This is the perfect position for a retired individual who may want to keep their professional skills polished, or for an individual looking for some job experience and skill building for a future job. Interested candidates should send resume (if available) to Cher Frampton at cframpton@lcsde.org.  Opening is available immediately. 

 
NEW!Photographer Needed for day of the 23rd Annual Hunger Walk Run - We are in need for one or even two additional photographers for the morning of the walk/run being held on Saturday, September 20 in Rockford park. Hours are from 7am until about 11:30am -12pm.  If you are passionate about photography and would like to help out the morning of, give us a call! 302-654-8886, x 107. Ask for Cher Frampton or email cframpton@lcsde.org.

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

Deadline! Walk/Run Teams  - There is still plenty of time to register on-line!  Be part of the largest Lutheran Fundraising and Annual Celebration in Delaware! Lot's of fun and for a great cause and hosted at gorgeous Rockford Park in Wilmington. Prizes, snacks, music...don't miss out! Click below to register, it's fast, it's easy and makes fundraising a breeze!Deadline for online registration - 4pm, Thursday, September 18. You may register the day of the event, registration opens at 8am.



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.



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.


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.

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!