News You Can Use June 2016

Fun with Samples in Choice  Pantry  LCS received a large donation of lentil  casseroles -  ready to cook and packed with protein - but clients  kept passing them by on the shelves. To show  clients how delicious they are, LCS staff cooked up  a batch and pantry volunteer Sam donned a chef's  hat to pass out samples as people shopped.  Sometimes All You Need is a Helping Hand When Luz arrived at the LCS offices looking for a church she was staying with her son after moving from Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, her living situation was not what she had hoped and she needed help collecting paperwork and finding a place to live. Assistant Program Director Jean Washington drove her to the Social Security office and the Wilmington Housing Authority before bringing her back to the office to get some groceries. When Luz came the following week for more food, it was with good news; she had picked up her Social Security card, learned how to navigate the bus system and, best of all, had found an affordable apartment! "Sharing Way" Path Coming  LCS is pleased to announce the "Sharing Way"  personalized brick project. Created to help offset  the cost of additional waterproofing needed at  our headquarters, the bricks will also help  beautify the front of the building once the  waterproofing is complete. Bricks can be  purchased for $150 with 3 lines of up to 20  characters (spaces and punctuation included)  each of custom text. Click here for the online ordering form. Walk Run Organizers Needed We're looking for people interested in helping to organize this year's 25th Annual Hunger Walk Run. If you'd like to represent your church, company, or organization at our planning meetings (two 1-hour meetings to be held between now and the Walk) please contact Steve Tindall at x. 105 or by email.

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Our Contact Information Lutheran Community Services 2809 Baynard Blvd. Wilmington, DE 19802 302.654.8886 www.lcsde.org

On your mark, get set....GO!

And...get posters out into the community!!  We are currently asking for volunteers to put posters out for our 23rd Annual 5k Walk/Run being held on September 20th. If you ever wanted to volunteer for LCS but was not sure what you could do, this is an easy and important opportunity that can make a difference and the time is now! If you already volunteer for LCS, we need your help right now!

Here is what the poster looks like. You can also take an electronic copy of this poster from this blog (Just click on photo, then right click, copy, save to directory of your choosing on your computer.) Promote the walk/run on your twitter account, Facebook, Instagram..wherever you use social media on the web and do so liberally!  If you would like a printable version of  our poster, just contact me at cframpton@lcsde.org.

We also have these posters at our office and need them taken out into the community and put into local churches, schools, store fronts, anywhere there is foot traffic. We cannot do this one alone and the more people who participate, the wider our scope of distribution.

We would also like to announce that on-line registration is now live. On-line registration is easy and fun and will increase your fund raising capacity. So hop on line and get registered today, its easy and you will love how much easier it is to do. If you need assistance contact Heather at hteig@lcsde.org after July 7.

WALK RUN REGISTRATION - CLICK HERE!

News You Can Use

For Your Church Newsletter    - Prepared by Steve Tindall

From Lutheran Community Services                            July 2014

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.

A Journey Back From Homelessness

Irene first came to LCS in July of 2009.  At that time, she was homeless, confused, and unkempt. Her speech was difficult to understand and often did not make sense. She had been homeless for awhile, living in shelters here and there, and she was clutching a folded piece of paper from WHA indicating that she was eligible, but that the wait would be a year and a half.  In the years that followed, she came back many times for food, clothing, and blankets.  Referrals were written for her at both the St. Stephen’s pantry and at the Zion pantry.  She often used the phones at the Women’s Friendship House Drop in Center to contact us and the coordinators there seemed to genuinely care for her.  She seemed worried about her safety and we encouraged her to look into Luther Towers. Then, recently, Irene returned to LCS and asked for furniture – for her new home in Luther Towers! Now, Irene has a table and chairs, sofa, and nightstand from us and the New Life Furnishings Program of Westminster.  It is uplifting to see the new glow in Irene’s eyes and the quiet comfort of her new home.  At 67, she finally seems to be genuinely happy and at peace.  Helping the homeless, those who are already “on the street,” like Irene, is challenging, which is why LCS housing assistance generally focuses on those who are trying to prevent homelessness, before they lose everything.

Sign Up for the Hunger Walk Run Online

On June 16, visitors to www.lcsde.org noticed that you can now sign up online for the annual LCS Hunger Walk Run (September 20). In addition to convenience, this tool allows you to track your fundraising for the Walk Run and use social media to help you. For example, Janice Reissig of Hope said, “Using the online tool for Walk-Run donations was easy, and broadened my access to potential donors.  I was surprised when I posted a link in Facebook individuals I hadn't thought to personally solicit donated -- and several of my sponsors were out of state, too.   It helped me to reach a personal best for the LCS Hunger Walk Run -- an amount that was over 60% higher than I'd ever raised!”  The online donations tool can make your fundraising easy and give you an edge in the competition to see who can raise the most to help support LCS’s pantries for low income people who come to us for help with food and nutrition.

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.