Friday, July 26, 2013

Call to Action - Walk/Run Posters

Been wanting to volunteer but nothing we have fits into your schedule? Look no further, we have the perfect mission for you! We are in need of individuals to pick up posters from our Rodney Street office and take them out into the community to hang into store fronts, churches, social halls, etc.

If this is the job for you, please give Cher Frampton a call at (302) 654-8886, x 107 or cframpton @ lscde.org.  We would like to get these out no later than August 15.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Greater Power

Every month we have a pastor/reverend from a different church write us a new and inspirational prayer to offer the recipients of our food services.  We place a copy of this prayer into each of the grocery bags we hand out. We feel that most who come to us are having a pretty rough time and could use some comforting words to help them through...
every little bit helps.

Here is the prayer for August:

Let us all turn again and again to the Lord in our difficult and blessed times. Dear Lord, you know my circumstance, even more clearly than I do. You see how hard life can be and how hard it is for me at this time. I t would be easy, even normal for me to complain, or just to lose hope. Give to me the faith and nurture to stand strong in you. Give me the faith to find purpose each day, to see my brothers and sisters as opportunities for me to care for and serve them. Come Lord to both meet my needs and to give me insight to help myself. You are the author of my life, and I seek your love, your forgiveness, your strength and grace. 

Amen.

Pastor Fred Melton
St. Mark's Lutheran Church    [8/13]

Monday, July 22, 2013

What Makes A Successful Team?

TEAM


Trust. Can you be counted on to be there for your team? Being dependable is one of the greatest qualities in life. Being where you are supposed to be – doing your job the ways you are suppose to do. If you want to be a valuable member of a team you must be willing to say, “You can count on me!”

Effort. Giving your all to help the team succeed. Using your energy in a consistent way to make the team better. Dedicating time and talent in a way that gives the team an edge over opponents who are unwilling to work. Not just playing your position – making “plays” from your position. If you want to be a valuable member of a team you must be willing to say, “I will give my best effort!”

Attitude. Being able to focus on the things you can control while blocking out the things you cannot. Not being distracted from your goals. Constantly seeing the possibilities instead of the problems - An ultimate desire to succeed. Most contests are lost because of attitude rather than talent. If you want to be a valuable member of a team you must be willing to say, “We will find a way!”

Morals. The glue of any team is its dedication to each other. Will you be loyal to your teammates? Will you put aside personal glory? Are you willing to sacrifice “me” for “we” in order to make the team successful? If you want to be a valuable member of a team you must be willing to say, “WE will be the best we can be!”

“If you can find a group of people willing to live and work by these standards then you have more than a successful organization. You have a Team.”

 - Tom Krause 

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

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."


Monday, July 15, 2013

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 50th 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.