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Happy Martin Luther King Day! Did you know that this is the only American holiday that specifically encourages people to get involved and do good in their communities? MLK day was officially dedicated to volunteerism in 1994 under the King Holiday and Service Act. In honor of the occasion, we would like to extend an invitation for you to volunteer with us at Lutheran Social Services. We have a small staff of 24 but a growing group of about 70 active volunteers. We could not serve 3500 people per month without all hands-on deck!
Many of our volunteers show up at the same time every week to help in the pantry, senior meals, data entry, or administration. Ronnie and Jo have formed the fastest food parcel assembly crew you have seen! Pete and JoAnn come every Monday to serve in the pantry or put together hygiene kits. Holy Spirit Lutheran has an entire crew with Pastor Hans and Jill mobilizing assemblies of volunteers to serve hundreds of families and individuals every month. Mr. Fish picks up food or other supplies from local churches and businesses. Carolyn and Gary serve during special events and John, our videographer, volunteers his time to produce fantastic videos which you can check out on our Youtube Channel. Another John helps us to screen clients. Harry helps us to engage with donors, Marta and Stefan host events, Robin helps us reach out to corporate sponsors, and our board members donate their time and expertise to make sure that we have a well-run organization. Thank you to volunteers such as Immer, Ann, Rob and Lori, Maggie, Nelly, Nancy, Beatriz, Heather, Julie, Carlos and Jackie, Paul, and many others for your consistent service!
In 2024 we are expanding our volunteer opportunities. Our food rescue truck is now operational (see below), which will allow us to pick up food directly from local supermarkets. We will break ground on our JOURNEY Senior Services Center which will open the doors for volunteers to help us start new programs and ministries for seniors. We will have an Easter Egg Hunt and Resource fair at the end of March, a peanut butter collection competition over the summer, a back-to-school resource fair in the fall, new Mobile Market locations and much more. You can very get started by filling out this Volunteer Form. It takes 1 minute. We are especially interested in question number 5 on this form which is: “Are there special skills that you bring to the table that would be relevant to volunteering with us at Lutheran Social Services?” We will do our best to get you involved in an area that you love.
Lastly, please take a minute to pray for the work of LSSN this year. Pray that all of us would have the grit to overcome challenges, the grace to serve people in need unflinchingly, and gratitude, which will fill our hearts with joy as we express the love of Christ by serving and caring for people in need. May 2024 be a year in which we serve even more people on deeper levels than ever before.
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