News You Can Use

For Your Church Newsletter

From Lutheran Community Services December 2007

Editors: Following is some information about LCS that you might want to include in your newsletter. 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 format, timing or content are welcome. Contact Steve Tindall (stindall@lcsde.org). 302 654 8886.

LCS Advocates Against “Predatory Lending” Practices

Lutheran Community Services would like to see an end to predatory lending practices and the damage it causes low income people in Delaware. This new advocacy role for LCS came about as a part of its new Strategic Plan.

Day in and day out, we work with low income populations by providing emergency housing assistance, food, and other important services. In doing so, we help low income people try to balance their budgets and make ends meet. Payday loans, exotic mortgages, high interest credit cards, and other forms of predatory lending are making it increasingly difficult for these folks to get by. It is unfortunate that the poor have to pay higher interest for loans. The damage is compounded by the fact that they are being targeted with loan products that ignore their ability to pay them back. In our state, there is no limit to the amount of interest a lender can charge. This is a recipe for financial disaster for our low income neighbors. Those of us who are fortunate enough to have jobs, homes and cars, should ask our Governor and legislators to take action and create legislation that will provide some protection for low income folks who need credit.

New Program Director

Dara Snyder joined Lutheran Community Services as the new Program Director on October 24 replacing Lisa Weifenbach. In her new position, Dara will have overall responsibilities for the organization’s emergency food, housing and other services for low income people in our area. Dara comes to LCS from a position at Nehemiah Gateway, a social service entity formed by Shiloh Baptist Church, which is one of our food distribution partners in Wilmington. She has a BS degree from the University of Delaware in Family and Community Services and an MSW from Temple University with a concentration in policy advocacy and community organizing. Dara has hit the ground running and is looking forward to the challenges of creating innovative strategies to help low income folks in need.

Think of LCS for Food Drives!

The statistics are reason for concern. Already this year our food costs are 25 percent greater than last year’s. Visitors to our stationary food pantries have already exceeded record-breaking totals amassed in 2006. Donations to LIFE (Lutherans Involved in Food Emergencies) is one way to help but not the only way. Some folks prefer the hands-on good feeling of food drives, which can help us keep the food supply up and the costs down. Another strategy has to do with food drives conducted by other non-Lutheran groups – employers, scouts, military units, clubs and so forth. Many times the folks who organize these events don’t have a clear idea of exactly which deserving group should be the recipient(s) of the food drive. So we are asking you – if you are asked to participate in a food drive – to step up and say: “I know an organization that can really use this food.”