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.
LCS has an urban garden at its headquarters location at 2809
Boulevard in Wilmington. With spring in the air, volunteers have turned to the
garden with big plans. Last year, the garden raised over 200 lbs. of produce.
This year, we can expect at least twice that much since the garden size is
being 
