Outreach Resources - Hunger
Parishioners sing for their supper - and the world's
(11-15-04)
You've heard the phrase about "singing for your supper," haven't you? The members of Manor Lutheran Parish, southwest of Frederick, Md., were singing instead for the world's supper as they raised money for the Lutheran World Hunger Appeal. Members and friends of St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Frederick, St. Mark Lutheran Church, Adamstown, and St. Luke Lutheran Church, Point-of-Rocks, joined with neighbors and friends to present a talent show the night of Sunday, November 14, 2004, at St. Matthew church. All money received from the free-will offering was donated to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for its World Hunger Appeal. The 90-minute, mainly musical extravaganza was filmed by a parishioner who is a film student at Towson University. Pr. Marina Flores planned to ask a local television channel to play the tape as a way of raising awareness of hunger issues.
Milford food pantry makes exemplary use of World Hunger funds
(11-10-04)
by Pr. Mark Huffman
In 2004, the emergency feeding program of the Milford Community Pantry Program (Milford, Delaware) received a $1,000 domestic hunger grant from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America World Hunger Appeal. Sister Jean Warren and I, representing the synodís Hunger Mission Force, visited the program on November 10, 2004, and found it to be very impressive in terms of organization, stewardship and community support.
The nearby state social services office refers families to the panty, which is located in the Avenue Methodist Church in downtown Milford. The pantry is staffed by volunteers and is open five days a week. Families receive enough canned goods and non-perishables to provide meals for four days. They also get personal hygiene supplies and a voucher for milk, bread and eggs. An insert goes into each food package proclaiming that the bags of food have been packed lovingly with Christian concern, and the family is invited to worship.
Most families are only helped one time though the food pantry, which is supported by 16 local churches, including Reformation Lutheran Church. In addition to support from churches, they also get donations from schools, business and individuals. The Milford Community Pantry is a great example of how our World Hunger Funds are being put to work locally.
LCS Walk/Run raises more than $40K for hunger
(10-15-04)
The 2004 Lutheran Community Services Walk/Run Against Hunger was the most successful ever, thanks to Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Lutheran Church Missouri Synod congregations in the greater Wilmington area. Over 300 people signed up and raised more than $40,000 at the annual event, held once again in Rockford Park at the end of September.
Money raised will help stock and operate LCS's system of LIFE food pantries, Mobile Pantry and free produce distributions at St. Stephen and St. Philip churches, Wilmington, and Hope Church, New Castle. Last year, LCS served over 40,000 people who needed food, and the expectation is that they may be able to serve even more this year. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans played a big role in the success of the event through the 11 teams that requested matching gifts.
The individual award for the most raised went to Jan Hufnal, Grace Church, Hockessin, who raised almost $2900 by herself and helped her congregation raise the most money of any team, over $6,000. Tree of Life Church, Middletown, Del., received the award for the highest level of participation - 24 out of 88 members, or 27%. The list of youth fundraisers was led by Jonathan Frieda, Hope Church, New Castle, who raised $445. The event had a significant turnout of youth, thanks in large part to the first Delmarva Youth Conference and Retreat which drew close to 60 ELCA and LCMS youth to St. Stephen Church, Wilmington, on the night before the race.
It was Bullwinkle to the rescue for hungry orphans in India
(8-16-04)
According to Jeff Grills, a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Boonsboro, Md., the story began two summers ago when five members of the congregation went on a 15-day mission trip to India with a group called Partners in Hope, visiting several Christian orphanages throughout their stay. Since then, the congregation has stayed in touch and raised what Jeff calls "quite a bit of money" to help support the work of the orphanages.
Jeff continues: "On December 24, 2003, a typhoon hit a couple of the orphanages where the mission team visited. One was particularly devastated. All their farm animals were drowned, buildings ruined, etc. We received an e-mail at our home from Rev. Babu from the Machiliputnum orphanage requesting immediate assistance. One of their immediate needs was to purchase a couple of water buffaloes for milk. They would give each of the 200 orphans a small glass of milk daily.
"My wife and I shared the story with our 18 year-old son and his friend at the dinner table just after Christmas. This boy excused himself, drove home, and returned in a half hour with a plastic bag full of 250 one dollar bills. He threw it on the table and said, 'Use this to buy Bullwinkle.' If you're of a certain age, you know that Bullwinkle was a moose, not a water buffalo, but the young man's instincts for what to do with the tip money from his job waiting tables were good."
The following Sunday, Jeff shared the story and the bag of money at the contemporary service at Trinity Church. He and his wife had put envelopes, simply marked "Bullwinkle," in each of the pews, hoping to collect an addition couple hundred dollars. Instead, they collected $2,400. The largest orphanage received $2,000, with the remaining $400 going to the smaller. "Water buffaloes and a lot more were able to get the orphanages back on their feet," Jeff notes.
LCS Walk/Run Against Hunger strides toward late September event
(8-9-04)
by Steve Tindall, LCS
Each fall, WilmingtonÕs Lutheran Community Services (LCS) holds its annual Walk/Run Against Hunger in Rockford Park to benefit its Emergency Food Assistance Program for low-income people in Wilmington and New Castle County, Delaware.
The walk/run travels a scenic 5k course in the park where people can run or walk as they choose. There is even a special one-mile wheelchair event. Plans for the 2004 event, which kicks off at 9 a.m., Saturday, September 25, are well under way. Last yearÕs event was the most successful ever, raising almost $33,000 and bringing out almost 300 participants.
Event planners want to do even better this year. They hope to raise $35,000 and to bring as many as 400 people to the walk/run. Most of the money raised comes from teams organized by Lutheran churches in the area. Team members get friends and relatives to sponsor them, and the competition is stiff to see which church can raise the most. Prizes also go to individual fundraisers in both the adult and youth categories.
One of the most exciting aspects of the 2004 Walk/Run Against Hunger is its emphasis on youth participation. A youth 'lock-in' - the Delmarva Youth Retreat - is being planned to coincide with the event and will take place at St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Wilmington, on the Friday evening before the event. Church youth from throughout Delaware and the Delmarva Peninsula are invited.
To help LCS reach its financial goal for the walk/run, the New Castle County chapter of Minnesota-based Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, the largest fraternal benefit society in the nation, has made a big commitment from its Care Abounds in Communities program, as well as from its Care in Regions program, since teams from the Kent-Sussex Chapter are also planning to participate.
Julia Hallock, Faith Lutheran Church, Bear, Del., is the volunteer chairperson. Lutheran Community Services helped over 45,000 people last year through its emergency food, housing and health services for low income and senior citizens.
Six poverty ministries receive Domestic Hunger Grants
(8-02-04)
By Pr. Dean Bard
Domestic Hunger Grants, funded through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America World Hunger Appeal, have been awarded to six ministries in the Delaware-Maryland Synod. Each year funds are granted across the ELCA for relief projects, sustainable development, community organizing, education and advocacy.
Recipients in 2004 are:
Amazing Port Street
Amazing Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Baltimore
$4,000 Development Grant
- Turns vacant lots in East Baltimore into beautiful gardens that grow cabbage, squash, and other fresh vegetables and fruits that feed people with low incomes
After-School Program
St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church (Pimlico), Baltimore
$4,000 Relief Grant
- Teaches children safe and easy food preparation to children supervised by their grandparents after school who help cook meals. The program also helps children with homework when caregivers cannot assist them, and it teaches them valuable computer skills.
Mobile Food Pantry
Lutheran Community Services, Inc., Wilmington
$5,000 Relief Grant
- Serves food to families with low incomes via a mobile food pantry that moves to distribution sites closer to families who have limited modes of transportation
Emergency Feeding Program
Milford Community Pantry Association, Milford, DE
$1000 Relief Grant
- Provides a four-day emergency food supply for families referred to the program by the Delaware State Service Center or a local pastor
Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs
Frederick, Md.
$4,000 Relief Grant
- Provides food for clients staying at the Alan P. Linton, Jr., emergency shelter
Christ Lutheran YWCA Shelter
Baltimore Outreach Services, Baltimore
$4,000 Relief Grant
- Offers emergency shelter, food and clothing for women and children who are homeless
Manor Parish youth donate $400 to world hunger
(4-18-04)
By Bob Goehrig
What is social injustice and why should I care? A group of middle-school aged youth from Manor Lutheran Parish in Point of Rocks/Doubs, Maryland, decided to find out the hard way Ð by experiencing it firsthand. Eight youth from the parish youth group and three of their advisers staged a 16-hour "famine" to get a firsthand understanding of what it is like to do without. The famine was similar to a youth group lock-in with one startling exception: the kids actually chose not to eat a thing for 16 hours. From 5:30 p.m. until 9:30 the following morning, the only sustenance allowed was water and orange juice.
To take their minds off the growing pit in their stomachs, the group watched movies and played games. One popular game that had the added advantage of driving the point of social injustice home was "Road to a Well-Fed Village." In this game each player became king-for-a-day for a particular country. The player had all the riches, resources, and problems of that country. Stephanie French got lucky enough to be the United States, and Krystle Russell was fortunate enough to get the United Kingdom. Spencer Goehrig, on the other hand, represented Ethiopia; John Michael Taylor was India; Zach Davis ruled Brazil; and Barney Willis played the part of Mexico.
Naturally, the wealthier countries, having an easier time overcoming obstacles, moved around the board more smoothly. The poorer countries, on the other hand, had a much more difficult time overcoming setbacks (such as droughts, shortages of natural resources, epidemic outbreaks, etc.) so they had to start over time and time again. At one point, John Michael Taylor (a.k.a. India) cried out, "Why does this always happen to the poor people?!" After a particularly heinous epidemic forced him to choose between food and medicine, Spencer GoehrigÕs (a.k.a. Ethiopia's) cash reserves were wiped out. "ItÕs not fair," he exclaimed. "Why does medicine have to cost so much?"
On their journey to the well-fed village, the players learned they couldnÕt reach the village alone Ð no matter how strong or how wealthy. The only way for one community to prosper was for everyone to work together to meet the needs of all people in the world community. As Manor Parish Pr. Marina Flores pointed out, "Jesus Christ teaches us that as long as there are those among us who are oppressed and cannot afford adequate medical care, food, or housing, then none of us are truly free from oppression and hunger." For example, several times during the game the players from distressed nations had the humbling experience of asking for money from their wealthy counterparts. The wealthy nations had to look inside themselves to find the maturity to share their hard-earned booty in a way that was not smug and did not blame the recipient. The wealthy learned "There goeth I but for the grace of God."
The "famine" wasnÕt all fun and games. The kids earned money from sponsors for each hour they were able to go without eating. Zach Davis, Michael Daugherty, Stephanie French, Olivia Goehrig, Spencer Goehrig, Krystle Russell, John Michael Taylor, and Barney Willis as well as their advisers, Pr. Flores and Lori and Bob Goehrig, earned over $400 which they donated to ELCA World Hunger Appeal to help those for whom famine is not a choice.
Roberta Sharper, a member of the synod Hunger Task Force, accepted the donation at worship on Palm Sunday on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America World Hunger Appeal. In doing so, she said, "The scriptures teach us that Ôa child shall lead themÕ and through your sacrifice you have shown us that you personify that passage very much."
About 70 percent of World Hunger Appeal donations are used for international development and relief, with another 11 percent being used for domestic development and relief. To learn more, visit the ELCA Web site.
Go gleaning!
(March 2004)
By Chris Perry
It's one of those scenes I'm not likely to forget.
To my right is Brian Wachter heaving huge bags of cabbages into the flatbed of a truck on a hot summer day. My 14-year-old son Matthew grabs the bag and has it join hundreds of others for the soup kitchens around Washington and Baltimore. To my left I see other members of St. Paul Church, cutting, bagging, and carrying still more produce from God's creation to the truck. And then there's Pastor Ginny [Price], a broad smile on her face and a high energy level that puts the rest of us to shame. "Let's do more," she says. It was a scene of sweaty faces, sore backs, and absolute joy.
St. Paul Lutheran Church is in Jefferson, a small community in Frederick County, Maryland. Our community and our church have experienced profound change during the last 30 years. Once a relatively isolated farming area, Jefferson has witnessed the arrival of several new housing developments as well as a decline in the number of farms and farming revenue. Instead of talking in the church's narthex about the growing of crops, discussion now is frequently about the commute to far off places like Washington, D.C.
So the question for us became how do we honor and recognize our past while also building a community in Christ? Gleaning became a part of the answer. Gleaning brings nourishment to the body, as well as the soul. Who needs an expensive membership at a health spa when crops lie wasting in the fields, and a little extra effort results in food for people going hungry in their homes? I like to think that all the bending, lifting, and walking done in the fields is a great way to shed a few pounds. It's certainly a great way to feel a special bond with a whole host of new friends in the gleaning community. If you've ever met a very special person by the name of Gloria Luster (a member of St. John Lutheran Church, Pimlico), you know what I'm talking about.
Over the last several years we've picked or culled kale, cucumbers, peaches, nectarines, plums, cauliflower, and apples. And we've most certainly picked cabbages. When I entered my church the Sunday morning after picking those cabbages, I was surprised by a certain aroma in the air. Cabbages? Yes, cabbages! There they were, several bags of cabbages scattered around the sanctuary, a testament to some hard work, a new segment for Pastor Ginny's sermon, and God's bountiful gift to us all.
We at St. Paul Church feel privileged to contribute in the small way we have to the gleaning network. Gleaning is a way to grab the root of Christianity, cultivate it, nourish it, and reap its special gift. Come join us. Go gleaning!
If you or your congregation would like to "go gleaning," you may call for a recorded announcement of gleaning opportunities at (410)426-1597 or call the Baltimore area coordinator Gloria Luster, (410)542-1782.ÊGleaning projects are done throughout the year and at various sites all over the states of Delaware and Maryland.ÊCall to find out when they will "go gleaning" near you!
Soup-er Bowl blessings
(March 2004)
by Pr. Mike Tamorria
Like many churches, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Frostburg, Md., observes "Soup-er Bowl" Sunday. Our youth group each year prepares a soup luncheon for after worship, and the proceeds go to local food ministries. This year's Soup-er Bowl Sunday, however, was different.
About 6 that morning (February 1, 2004), a fire broke out about two blocks east of us on Main Street. A building was pretty well gutted. No people were injured, but one cat perished.
When I arose about 6:30, the fire and police people were already blocking off Main Street. Fire companies from up to 40 miles away were responding to this blaze. Still, by 8:15 people were arriving at St. Paul's, having negotiated something of an obstacle course to get here -- and at least one policeman telling people we had canceled services. Despite the problems of roadblocks, we had 94 people at worship, which is actually above average for us (average is 87).
Early on we decided to share our soup with the emergency people -- who were already coming in to use our washroom facilities and look for coffee. I told the fire chief that he could send in firefighters any time after 11 for soup.
Youth adviser Karrey Rhodes swung into action and coordinated everything. Our youth not only prepared and served the soup here at St. Paul's, but brought trays of soup bowls out to the fire scene. We had plenty of soup for ourselves, and we also served fire and emergency personnel up to 1 p.m., when the soup ran out and they were pretty much starting to leave anyway.Ê
Although we are sorry a building was destroyed, including a restaurant, a clothing store, and some apartments, we feel it was providential that we were already preparing this nourishment for these volunteers. We feel blessed that we could be a blessing in a time of great need.
"Soup-er Bowl Sunday" is set for Feb. 6, 2005. If you'd like to get involved, visit www.souperbowl.org.