News You Can Use

For Your Church Newsletter

From Lutheran Community Services July 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.

Hope Lutheran Pantry Numbers Climb

LIFE (Lutherans Involved in Food Emergencies) Pantry numbers are way up this year, particularly for the LIFE Pantry at Hope Lutheran near New Castle. During the period January to April, LIFE Food Pantries served 7,822 in 2007, compared to 5,749 in 2006. The number of people served at Hope for that four-month period was 1,098 in 2006 and 2,167 in 2007. That’s an increase of just about 100%! The reasons behind this dramatic upsurge are several. Some speculate that the root cause is the increase in rents in the area (median rents are up over 12%). Others think it has to do with unemployment as a result of plant closures and changes at large bank employers. But to those rationales, you must add that Hope volunteers definitely go the extra mile to make sure that people have the food that they need.

Southbridge Grocery Club Coming

LCS’s newest Grocery Club will be located in Wilmington’s Southbridge area. It is the product of a partnership between New Calvary Baptist Church on Heald Street, and LCS. Southbridge has been in the news lately as the first “Hope Zone” designated by the City of Wilmington Hope Commission. The Hope Commission was created to identify troubled neighborhoods and then create social service strategies to diminish crime and improve the quality of life there. The area’s problems include underemployment, industrial pollution and crime. Initially, the primary source of referrals for the new club will be Neighborhood House, which is a Methodist-based social service agency in the area. This combined effort from Lutherans, Baptists and Methodists gives the project a truly ecumenical orientation. The first distribution will on a Saturday in July.

Building Congregation-Based Programs

LCS and many of its New Castle County-based member churches have formed partnerships to develop congregation-based programs for our disadvantaged neighbors. LCS can provide the program designs, forms for record keeping, eligibility requirements, information on the number of volunteers required, space requirements, timing considerations, and access to low cost products through LCS membership in the Food Bank of Delaware. Churches provide the site, most of the people-power, and a welcoming atmosphere for people in need. Many churches feel that by generating this kind of volunteer activity the church members benefit just as richly as the people being served. Once a program is up and running, some churches continue to rely on LCS support and staff assistance for their food distributions. Others want to run the program themselves with less advice and assistance from LCS.