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.

News You Can Use

For Your Church Newsletter    - by Steve Tindall

From Lutheran Community Services            April 2015

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.

Building Almost Complete

Progress has been steady on the renovation of the new LCS headquarters building on Baynard Boulevard in Wilmington.  According to contractors, it should be completed April 1

Homelessness Prevented

Linda had been homeless for quite some time.  She stayed at relatives’ houses, on friends’ couches, in motels, in short- and long-term shelters.  Not having a mailing address and a working phone made it difficult for people to reach her, so she often used the phone at Lutheran Community Services to talk to 211 – the information helpline – for screening and the next temporary housing placement.  Linda is 63. Her husband, a veteran, passed away. Linda receives his VA pension so is able to pay a subsidized rent in an ongoing manner …if she were able to work out the logistics involved in finding a place to move in to and communicating with them.  With LCS’s help, Linda was able to meet these challenges. LCS was able to provide her with the security deposit she needed for Sacred Heart Village, a low income apartment community, where she lives today in her own place.

Capital Campaign Donors May Be Eligible for Tax Credit

Larger donations to the LCS Capital Campaign may be eligible for Delaware’s Neighborhood Assistance Act Program. Under the program, individual and business donors with an income tax liability in Delaware (and who reside in Delaware) can get a 50% tax credit for campaign donations made during calendar year 2015. Application should be made as soon as possible on or after July 1, 2015. This is not a deduction but a direct credit taken off the bottom line of your tax bill to Delaware. The NAA tax credit equals 50% of the qualified contribution up to a maximum eligible contribution of $100,000 annually per taxpayer, resulting in a maximum annual tax credit of $50,000 per taxpayer. The minimum contribution by an individual or family is $2,500 for a tax credit of $1,250. The minimum contribution by a business is $10,000 for a tax credit of $5,000. Contact Steve Tindall (302 654 8886 x105 or stindall@lcsde.org) for assistance.

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.

LCS 2014 Program Services Report

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.