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!

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.

2012 Governor's Outstanding Volunteer Awards

We love all of our volunteers, without them we could not do the critically import work we do. We also do not like to play favorites, because every bit, large or small plays an important role in the operations here at LCS. But once in a while we do have the opportunity to have our volunteers recognized in a special way for all of their contributions.

LCS is about people and with people comes stories and those stories leave a legacy. LCS has been around for over 50 years, and that means many people have passed through our doors and much legacy behind it. One such individual was recently acknowledged for his legacy, one that he continues to grow here at LCS.

A few months ago I received an email from the State Office of Volunteerism asking us to get our nominations in for the 2012 Governor's Outstanding Volunteer Awards. I thought that out of the hundreds of volunteers we have, surely someone was worthy of nominating, but who? Since I was the new kid on the block, I thought it best to hand this question over to the rest of the staff. One name came back strongly; Donald (Don) Schaeffer. I knew Don as the quiet, humble guy who worked in our St. Stephen's pantry. He was kind and always seemed to be in control over what was going on down there. A regular face I learned to recognize quickly, but I didn't know much else about him. So it was time to do some home work.

Don Schaeffer and Kristie Augenblick
working at the St. Stephen's Pantry.
Photo by: Jeff Batt

I asked Don to come up for an interview and was amazed at what I found out. He not only worked for us, but he also volunteered for St. Francis Hospital every Monday putting information packets together for the past 30 years; and for the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped through the Library of Congress repairing machines so the blind could listen to books on tape for the past 30 years. Don has been working with us off and on for the past 25 years. Between all three organizations he volunteers five days a week, it is his full-time job. He felt what he does is "no big deal" and when asked "What has the work here meant to you?" His answer was "Keeps me busy and active, gives me a reason to get up." When I asked him "What has kept you here all these years?" His answer was "You gotta do something, cannot just sit around." So he is not one to be praised for his work, nor does he keep score.

I sent the nomination in, not knowing if we had any shot at this, but felt if anyone deserved an award, certainly it was Don.

Don Schaeffer recieves his award from Governor Jack
Markell and First Lady Carla Markell
Photo by: Jeff Batt

Finally in mid-September I got the call I was waiting and hoping for; Don won an award and would be going to the award ceremony! I was told there was a record breaker for entries this year and that the competition was tough. (Insert the Volunteer Coordinator Happy Dance here.)  So on October 25th Don went to the 2012 Governor's Outstanding Volunteer Awards that were held at the Dover Down's Hotel in Dover, DE. His photo was shown up on a large screen, the Governor spoke about him, he was given a plaque and had his picture taken with the Governor and First Lady.

Don not being a very public guy or one to take any credit, handled all of this pretty well. We are thrilled for him and I think he understands this really was not so much about him, as it was about representing all of the volunteers at LCS. It gave us a chance to show off who we are and what we are all about. So we really are grateful that Don was "Willing to take one for the team!"

After all of the nominations were made public we found out that two other volunteers from LCS were also awarded by the Governor for their roles in other organizations. Nancy Goyda, who has volunteered with LCS since 1980 and has previously served on its board was awarded for her work with Family Promise, an organization that that is dedicated to providing shelter for homeless families in Northern New Castle County.

Nancy Goyda poses with Governor Jack
Markell and First Lady Carla Markell.
Photo by: Jeff Batt

Marge Altergott was part of a group award for her work with Secret Garden from the Delaware Center for Horticulture delivering educational programming about the environment to the Ministry of Caring Daycare Center. You are all building a great legacy to leave behind one day. One I think might be pretty hard for others to keep up with!

To Don, Nancy and Marge: Congratulations on your awards and thank you for all of your continued efforts here at LCS!

Have a story about your experience with LCS you would like to share, please contact me! Why did you start volunteering for LCS? How long have you volunteered for LCS? What has volunteering for LCS meant to you? Do you know of anyone who should be recognized for their efforts at LCS? Send your stories or suggestions to cframpton@lcsde.org.

Volunteer Job Opportunities/Openings - November 2012

Zion Pantry looking for additional volunteer staff...

Photo by: Jeff Batt

Our pantry coordinator Eleanor Otten at Zion Lutheran Church is retiring and three new positions are being developed to replace one person. This group of an office clerk, food manager and pantry coordinator will hopefully make the job easier for all and a great way to make new friends while building a new team to help fight hunger here in Delaware. We want to thank Eleanor for her man years of service and for running nothing but a first class pantry with some of the best volunteers. We are going to miss you Eleanor, THANK YOU!

LCS Office Clerk – Zion Food Pantry (Placement needed by December)

The Office Clerk will be responsible for processing referrals for recipients who are in need of pantry services. Referrals are generated by outside agencies & arrive via phone & fax machine.  Tasks require attention to detail, legible handwriting, good communication skills, and an ability to interact with both agencies and recipients on the phone. Gather and collect monthly referral & donation forms to enable tabulation of statistics and reports by LCS Program Director and work directly with the pantry coordinator.  Schedule: 9am – 12pm, Tue, Wed and Thur. Zion Lutheran Church, 2101 Lancaster Ave, Wilmington, DE 19805  *See contact information below.

LCS Food Manager – Zion Food Pantry (Placement needed by December)

The Food Manager will be responsible for placing weekly pantry orders with the Food Bank of Delaware.  Assist with picking up the food at the Food Bank, bringing it back to Zion church, restocking the pantry, and packing bags. Periodic need for additional food runs to nearby discount food stores in between weekly Food Bank orders.  Must be physically able to lift and carry up to 30 pounds. Access to own vehicle with large cargo capacity a must.  Tuesdays, 8am till needed, some additional time as needed. Some computer skills needed. Zion Lutheran Church, 2101 Lancaster Ave, Wilmington, DE 19805
*See contact information below.

LCS Pantry Coordinator – Zion Food Pantry (Placement needed by December)

The Pantry Coordinator will be responsible for scheduling volunteers needed to provide adequate coverage required for pantry to run smoothly.  Address concerns and questions raised by customers of pantry.  Oversee all operations and report back to the Program Director of LCS regarding programmatic concerns and to the Volunteer Coordinator of LCS about volunteer needs. Pantry Coordinator will be the point person of contact for all volunteers working at that location and for LCS. Must have good communication and customer service skills. Schedule: 9am – 12pm, Tue, Wed and Thur. Zion Lutheran Church, 2101 Lancaster Ave, Wilmington, DE 19805
*See contact information below.

 ________________________________________________

LCS Pantry Worker – Hope Pantry (Placement needed ASAP)

  

The LCS Pantry at Hope Lutheran Church in New Castle, De is looking for a volunteer to work every other Wednesday. Individuals would be responsible for stocking, bagging, taking referrals for recipients to receive food, and handing out food to recipients. Training provided and you can choose which alternating Wednesdays you wish to work. FREQUENCY: 2 times a month.

230 Christiana Rd (Rt 273) New Castle, DE 19720 

To apply for any of the volunteer job opportunities listed above, contact Cher Frampton, Volunteer Coordinator for LCS at 302-654-8886, ext 107 or cframpton@lcsde.org. 

Open on Wednesday

We hope everyone got through Hurricane Sandy, Tropical Storm Sandy, Ill Tempered Storm Sandy (she certainly changed her mind and mood a lot) over the past few days with as little damage as possible. To all who did not, especially those who live on the affected coastal areas, our thoughts and prayers go out to them.

We will be opening up our doors to resume operations tomorrow on Wednesday, October 31st. We are not sure what to anticipate as far as our regular deliveries go, because we will not be able to contact places like the Food Bank of Delaware until we get arrive in the morning to find out what shape the FBD is in.
We look forward to seeing folks and hope everyone can make it in. If you are scheduled this week and cannot make it, due to "Sandy," we understand! But please give us a call, so we know not to expect you and can try to find a substitute for you this week. Try contacting your Program Manager first, since they are the ones who schedule you, but if you cannot get through to them, please contact me, the Volunteer Coordinator, Cher Frampton at (302) 654-8886, ext 107 or cframpton@lcsde.org.

Thank you so much for your patience and we look forward to seeing everyone again!

The LCS Staff

LCS Storm Closing Information (Hurricane Sandy)

Dear Friends,

We are closed today (Monday, October 29th) and we will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, October 30th as we ride out Hurricane Sandy. At this point we cannot make any predictions on what will happen on Wednesday, but we are hopeful we can return to providing services. Hurricane Sandy is going to be the one who dictates when and what will happen.

Please know that you are all in our thoughts and prayers and that we will return as soon as it is possible. Please check this blog for any updates, as we will post them as they become available (providing there is power to do so.)

For updates and to track the storm, visit:  wunderground.com.

Stay safe, stay dry, stay home and please follow any instructions our officials give. If they tell you to evacuate, please do so. Take this storm seriously! 

God Bless,

The Staff of LCS